I wonder what life was life for our ancestors 100 years ago. More specifically, who was alive and what would they have been doing that year, when the "war to end all wars" had just ended with an armistice the month before. I've used the information in our family tree, and the 1920 census (which could be a little "off") to try to reconstruct life on that day.
In the Holbrook line, my grandparents, Loren and Etta Stanard Holbrook, had been married for a little over four years. They were living in or near Meteor, in Ferry County, Washington. They were either on or near the Colville Indian Reservation. At Christmas 2018, Loren was 35 and Etta was 29. They were the parents of Ray, who was three years old, and Howard, who was eight months old. In the 1920 census, Loren was the manager of a saw mill. He had acquired land when he first went to the area in 1907-1908. Ten years later, he may have still been suffering a little bit of culture shock, for life in a tiny community in Washington state was much different than life in Chicago Heights, Illinois, where he had been raised. I wonder what gifts the boys received that year?
The boys were fortunate because all of their grandparents were still alive. Yes, one set was in Chicago and I don't know how often, if at all, they got to see those grandparents. But Fremont and Phoebe Brown Holbrook would have doted on those boys, just as any grandparent would. Fremont and Phoebe in the 1920 census were listed with no occupation. They were both 62 years of age, and had three roomers living with them. Two were machinists (one French speaking) and one a chemist, so dinner conversation may have been lively. I hope Phoebe fixed a nice meal for them, and perhaps invited their son Ray for dinner, also. I think Clark, who may or may not have been home from the war yet, may have already transferred his residence to Florida, so I don't know whether or not he was at Christmas dinner that year. Still, knowing that the war was over and Clark was coming back would have been a cause for great joy at that Holbrook table.
The other grandparents, Louis and Mary Alice Hetrick Stannard, lived much closer. They lived across the Columbia River in Stevens County, and because they had to take a ferry to cross the river, it would take over an hour for the trip even though it was just about 25 miles from the Holbrook to the Stanard home. It is very likely that the Holbrooks made the trip that day, as I know that Christmas was always important to the Stanards. Louis and Alice were both 62 years old. Louis is listed as a school teacher but he was also the assistant school superintendent, The superintendent was their daughter, Elizabeth (Bess), who never married. Quite probably "Winnie", (Elwin) was there, too, with his wife Bessie Moody and their children (not sure whether all the children were born yet, or not.) Bessie would die in 1920, but in 1918 the family was likely enjoying their Christmas. They lived in Colville, Stevens County, not far from Hunters and a much easier trek to go "home for Christmas".
So the Holbrooks and Stanards were in Washington State, and the older Holbrooks were in Chicago Heights, Illinois. What about the Allen family?
Edward (Ed) and Edith Knott Allen were in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their first baby, a boy, had died but there were four children in 1918 and Edith was about six months pregnant with the baby who would prove to be their last surviving child. Ed was 50 and Edith was 40. He was a self employed attorney, and rented a home for the family Ed's parents had already passed on, but Edith's father was still alive. John Wilson Knott lived in Yoncalla, Oregon with his son and daughter in law, George and Martha Knott. Sometime during this time period, John (although I've heard that he went by the name "Wilson") preached his last sermon and went to a nursing home, where he lived out his days. He was 82 years old in 1918, and that was about the age he was when he ended a lifetime of preaching.
I don't think any of these families had much money. The wealthiest, the Holbrooks of Chicago Heights, probably were middle class with upward aspirations, but the others were struggling to reach middle class status by Christmas of 1918. Nevertheless, all of the families knew Jesus; two being ordained preachers (John Wilson Knott was Presbyterian, Louis Stanard was Baptist). Christmas 1918 would have been a joyous one for all, for they knew what Christmas was all about.
Merry Christmas, family present and family past! And if future family, someone living 100 years from now, reads this, Merry Christmas to you, too!
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Monday, December 24, 2018
Beeks and Harshbarger Christmas, 1918
Christmas 100 years ago...What was it like for those family members who were alive then? In many ways, we can only guess whether they had a bountiful Christmas or were lucky to get (or give) an apple or orange. But we do know they had family...Boy, did they have family!
We can only begin to imagine Christmas Day in 1918 for Wilbur Beeks. He was in Russia, and had been since early August, as part of what was supposed to be a second front against Germany but ended up being part of the Russian revolution. By now, he had mostly recovered from his wounds received September 27, and was operating with his unit again. We can only hope they had some pause for a Christmas celebration. Wilbur's wife of a little over four years, Cleo Aldridge Beeks, had a little bundle of joy to enjoy at Christmas. After having buried two babies, one in 1915 and one in 1916, Kenneth Eugene Beeks was having his first Christmas (he would have only one more) and enjoying the day as much as a baby of almost six months can.
Cleo would have had her choice of places to celebrate. I don't know where she was living then. She may have lived in Andrews, as that is where the birth record for Kenneth states,. If so, she could have been living the life of a single Mom while Wilbur was away. Or she could have been living with her parents, Harvey and Margaret Catherine Dunham Aldridge. Harvey was 65 and his wife was 60. In 1920, the Aldridges were living on Berry Street in Andrews, and Harvey was a laborer at the lumberyard. The Aldridges were already raising two grandchildren, but probably would have had room for a daughter and grandson, too, if needed. There were six surviving Aldridge children including Cleo, so the family gathering, wherever it was held, would have included many Aldridge grandchildren, nieces and nephews to Cleo. Maybe she didn't have enough time to really miss her husband that day.
Or she may have been staying with, or at least visiting, the home of her in-laws. John, 51, and Elizabeth Wise Beeks, 48, that day. In 1920, they were living on Main Street in Andrews, and he was a section man on the interurban line. Two of their children, Charity and Chester (Bud) were living with them, as was David Wise, Elizabeth's father, who was 81 years old. And there was another Beeks family member to visit, Mary Wise Beeks, Wilbur's grandmother, the widow of William Beeks. She was 78 years old, but lived in a home she owned on East Washington Street in Lagro. Her son Martin lived with her. Mary and William had several children, some still living, so presumably there was a large Beeks Christmas celebration somewhere.
One other thing about the Beeks Christmas celebration: Cleo herself turned 22 on Christmas of 1918.
The Harshbargers in Whitley County also had lots and lots of family. Grover Harshbarger by now was mostly recovered from the bout with "Spanish influenza" that had knocked him for a loop and out of the military earlier that year. He may have been living with his father then, but by 1920 he was living with his sister Maud, her husband, daughter, son in law, grandchild, and at least two other lodgers, relationship not determined although another of the 'lodgers" had the surname Harshbarger. Grover was a logger at a saw mill. Both his parents, Emanuel and Clara Ellen Harter Harshbarger were still living. listed as in the same household, in Thorn Creek, Whitley County, Indiana. (This was significant because there had been an earlier divorce action and I never found whether or not it was withdrawn, Apparently it was.) Emanuel was 64 and Clara was 61. They had at least three other children still living, so if they hosted a Harshbarger family Christmas the farmhouse they lived in would have been crowded.
Goldie Withers was 17 and single, likely living with her parents, William H and Della Kemery Withers. Her sister Sue, three years older, was married but probably came home for Christmas. By 1920, both girls were gone, but 1918 would have been a family year. Della's parents were still alive and in Whitley County, too, and they have a large family. Adam, 72, and Nancy Fanny Buchtel Kemery, also 72, were farmers in Columbia Township, Whitley County. They had two adult children living with them in 1920, but others were grown and away from home so there were likely grandchildren at the Kemery household that day, too.
All of the families I've visited here had good support systems. In the case of Cleo Aldridge Beeks, that was probably needed and she learned her lessons well, as she cared for many aging relatives during her lifetime. But Christmas 1918 for all would have been a time of hope, with the war (except for Wilbur and the thousands of others still fighting in Russia) over. And one other thing-Christmas Day 1918 brought just a little bit of snow to northern Indiana, .6 of an inch but enough to qualify for a "White Christmas".
We can only begin to imagine Christmas Day in 1918 for Wilbur Beeks. He was in Russia, and had been since early August, as part of what was supposed to be a second front against Germany but ended up being part of the Russian revolution. By now, he had mostly recovered from his wounds received September 27, and was operating with his unit again. We can only hope they had some pause for a Christmas celebration. Wilbur's wife of a little over four years, Cleo Aldridge Beeks, had a little bundle of joy to enjoy at Christmas. After having buried two babies, one in 1915 and one in 1916, Kenneth Eugene Beeks was having his first Christmas (he would have only one more) and enjoying the day as much as a baby of almost six months can.
Cleo would have had her choice of places to celebrate. I don't know where she was living then. She may have lived in Andrews, as that is where the birth record for Kenneth states,. If so, she could have been living the life of a single Mom while Wilbur was away. Or she could have been living with her parents, Harvey and Margaret Catherine Dunham Aldridge. Harvey was 65 and his wife was 60. In 1920, the Aldridges were living on Berry Street in Andrews, and Harvey was a laborer at the lumberyard. The Aldridges were already raising two grandchildren, but probably would have had room for a daughter and grandson, too, if needed. There were six surviving Aldridge children including Cleo, so the family gathering, wherever it was held, would have included many Aldridge grandchildren, nieces and nephews to Cleo. Maybe she didn't have enough time to really miss her husband that day.
Or she may have been staying with, or at least visiting, the home of her in-laws. John, 51, and Elizabeth Wise Beeks, 48, that day. In 1920, they were living on Main Street in Andrews, and he was a section man on the interurban line. Two of their children, Charity and Chester (Bud) were living with them, as was David Wise, Elizabeth's father, who was 81 years old. And there was another Beeks family member to visit, Mary Wise Beeks, Wilbur's grandmother, the widow of William Beeks. She was 78 years old, but lived in a home she owned on East Washington Street in Lagro. Her son Martin lived with her. Mary and William had several children, some still living, so presumably there was a large Beeks Christmas celebration somewhere.
One other thing about the Beeks Christmas celebration: Cleo herself turned 22 on Christmas of 1918.
The Harshbargers in Whitley County also had lots and lots of family. Grover Harshbarger by now was mostly recovered from the bout with "Spanish influenza" that had knocked him for a loop and out of the military earlier that year. He may have been living with his father then, but by 1920 he was living with his sister Maud, her husband, daughter, son in law, grandchild, and at least two other lodgers, relationship not determined although another of the 'lodgers" had the surname Harshbarger. Grover was a logger at a saw mill. Both his parents, Emanuel and Clara Ellen Harter Harshbarger were still living. listed as in the same household, in Thorn Creek, Whitley County, Indiana. (This was significant because there had been an earlier divorce action and I never found whether or not it was withdrawn, Apparently it was.) Emanuel was 64 and Clara was 61. They had at least three other children still living, so if they hosted a Harshbarger family Christmas the farmhouse they lived in would have been crowded.
Goldie Withers was 17 and single, likely living with her parents, William H and Della Kemery Withers. Her sister Sue, three years older, was married but probably came home for Christmas. By 1920, both girls were gone, but 1918 would have been a family year. Della's parents were still alive and in Whitley County, too, and they have a large family. Adam, 72, and Nancy Fanny Buchtel Kemery, also 72, were farmers in Columbia Township, Whitley County. They had two adult children living with them in 1920, but others were grown and away from home so there were likely grandchildren at the Kemery household that day, too.
All of the families I've visited here had good support systems. In the case of Cleo Aldridge Beeks, that was probably needed and she learned her lessons well, as she cared for many aging relatives during her lifetime. But Christmas 1918 for all would have been a time of hope, with the war (except for Wilbur and the thousands of others still fighting in Russia) over. And one other thing-Christmas Day 1918 brought just a little bit of snow to northern Indiana, .6 of an inch but enough to qualify for a "White Christmas".
Friday, December 21, 2018
James Longbottom, Immigrant
I'm really not sure whether I should be writing this blog post or not. Most of the sites say that James is "assumed" to be the father of Daniel Longbottom. But then, most sites clearly have erroneous information about James, giving him the same birth date and marriage date, and stating, without any proof that I can find, that he died in Norwich, New Haven County, Connecticut. So let's see what we do know about James, and try to separate fact from speculation.
James Longbottom was probably born about 1605, more or less, somewhere around the village of Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England. A James Longbottom married Isabel Hoult on August 19, 1628 at Heptonstall, Yorkshire, England. Note: The name is spelled Longbotham in England). This couple is often given as Daniel's parents. It's possible, because no one seems to know when exactly Daniel was born, although his birth year is typically given as 1658-1660. If this is Daniel's birth year, then it's not likely that Isabel was his mother, although it's barely possible, especially if Daniel was born say 5 years earlier. Or James may be the father, but another woman may be his mother.
James's place of death is frequently given as Norwich, New London County, Connecticut. In a review of some of the available on line sources, I've not been able to verify that. (A son of Daniel's did die in Norwich, and that might be the source of the confusion.) James is believed to have died in 1674, which would mean that he wasn't likely living with Daniel, in Norwich as Daniel would have been young.
OK, so there are all those things we don't know about James. But I believe I've found traces of him, not in Norwich but in Rhode Island. The time period fits and the story there is believable. He was first of Newport, and in 1660 was one of a group of six who bought land from the native American Narragansett tribe in 1660, representing a group of about 80 men. This land later became the town of Westerly, R.I., and James drew the 55th lot when land was distributed. The town was on the east side of the Pawtucket River, and there were disputes with Stonington, Connecticut, when persons from Stonington built on disputed land there. Eventually this led to quite a feud, and some of the Westerly men were thrown in jail (not sure whether this was in Connecticut or in Massachusetts). I didn't find a list of the men who were arrested so we don't know if this included James or not, but it surely included some of his friends and neighbors.
There is a list of freemen of Westerly on March 18, 1669 that does not include James Longbottom. Was this an oversight? Was he not a freeman? Or had he, perhaps, already left the area for Norwich, or gone back to Newport? Any of these are possible. The land that James had bought in Westerly was sold by Daniel Longbottom in 1714, which is the reason James is believed to be Daniel's father. He could be a grandfather, though. Also there is one reference that Daniel sold land of James's in 1674. This would mean Daniel had to be at least 21 years of age at the time.
Here we come to the end of what I've been able to locate about James Longbottom. He is as shadowy as they come, and if it weren't for the information we have about him in 1660-1661, we wouldn't know he had been in America at all. Newport and later Westerly had early Baptist histories. Perhaps James was a Baptist, and his death was simply not reported to the authorities. It would appear that he stayed out of legal trouble, based only on the idea that no one has reported finding him in court records.
Some of our ancestors like to hide behind thin veils and some behind thick curtains. Some may stay hidden there during my lifetime, but perhaps these hints will allow someone else to do some real digging, perhaps in Yorkshire, and come up with a more definite sketch of our ancestor. I certainly hope that is the case, for I'd like to know more about James Longbottom!
The probable line of descent is:
James Longbottom-possibly Isabel Hoult
Daniel Longbottom-Elizabeth Lamb
James Longbottom-Elizabeth Jackson
Elizabeth Longbottom-John Eames
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
James Longbottom was probably born about 1605, more or less, somewhere around the village of Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England. A James Longbottom married Isabel Hoult on August 19, 1628 at Heptonstall, Yorkshire, England. Note: The name is spelled Longbotham in England). This couple is often given as Daniel's parents. It's possible, because no one seems to know when exactly Daniel was born, although his birth year is typically given as 1658-1660. If this is Daniel's birth year, then it's not likely that Isabel was his mother, although it's barely possible, especially if Daniel was born say 5 years earlier. Or James may be the father, but another woman may be his mother.
James's place of death is frequently given as Norwich, New London County, Connecticut. In a review of some of the available on line sources, I've not been able to verify that. (A son of Daniel's did die in Norwich, and that might be the source of the confusion.) James is believed to have died in 1674, which would mean that he wasn't likely living with Daniel, in Norwich as Daniel would have been young.
OK, so there are all those things we don't know about James. But I believe I've found traces of him, not in Norwich but in Rhode Island. The time period fits and the story there is believable. He was first of Newport, and in 1660 was one of a group of six who bought land from the native American Narragansett tribe in 1660, representing a group of about 80 men. This land later became the town of Westerly, R.I., and James drew the 55th lot when land was distributed. The town was on the east side of the Pawtucket River, and there were disputes with Stonington, Connecticut, when persons from Stonington built on disputed land there. Eventually this led to quite a feud, and some of the Westerly men were thrown in jail (not sure whether this was in Connecticut or in Massachusetts). I didn't find a list of the men who were arrested so we don't know if this included James or not, but it surely included some of his friends and neighbors.
There is a list of freemen of Westerly on March 18, 1669 that does not include James Longbottom. Was this an oversight? Was he not a freeman? Or had he, perhaps, already left the area for Norwich, or gone back to Newport? Any of these are possible. The land that James had bought in Westerly was sold by Daniel Longbottom in 1714, which is the reason James is believed to be Daniel's father. He could be a grandfather, though. Also there is one reference that Daniel sold land of James's in 1674. This would mean Daniel had to be at least 21 years of age at the time.
Here we come to the end of what I've been able to locate about James Longbottom. He is as shadowy as they come, and if it weren't for the information we have about him in 1660-1661, we wouldn't know he had been in America at all. Newport and later Westerly had early Baptist histories. Perhaps James was a Baptist, and his death was simply not reported to the authorities. It would appear that he stayed out of legal trouble, based only on the idea that no one has reported finding him in court records.
Some of our ancestors like to hide behind thin veils and some behind thick curtains. Some may stay hidden there during my lifetime, but perhaps these hints will allow someone else to do some real digging, perhaps in Yorkshire, and come up with a more definite sketch of our ancestor. I certainly hope that is the case, for I'd like to know more about James Longbottom!
The probable line of descent is:
James Longbottom-possibly Isabel Hoult
Daniel Longbottom-Elizabeth Lamb
James Longbottom-Elizabeth Jackson
Elizabeth Longbottom-John Eames
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Holbrook line: Benjamin Hearnden Harrington Herendeen
For simplicity's sake, I'm going to use the spelling Hearnden in this post, but Benjamin's name was spelled in many different ways during his lifetime; he was apparently illiterate as he signed his name with an X on legal documents.
Information abounds about this ancestor, and so do stories that can't be proven. Also people look at the same set of facts and draw different conclusions. So, I'll just say that some people think his parents were James Harrington and Ann Clinton-Fiennes, which lines probably trace back to English nobility. Others say his father was likely Robert Harrington. It is known that James and Ann had a son named Benjamin and that they all came to Boston in 1630. James died in 1630 and Ann in 1632 and Benjamin went to live with an uncle, Charles Clinton-Fiennes. The story goes that Charles was a strict Puritan and Benjamin had become a Baptist. Uncle Charles severely flogged Benjamin for this, and Benjamin then went to Rhode Island. Another story says that when escaping to Rhode Island, Benjamin joined a family of Quakers also enroute to Providence Plantation, and that is how Benjamin met his future wife. These are stories and speculation only, but it seems to be true that Benjamin was a Baptist and Elizabeth White, his wife, was a Quaker. Choose for yourself how much of the story, or which stories, you want to believe.
What is well documented is that Benjamin had some run ins with the law in Massachusetts. There was a man of his name presented in court in Lynn, Massachusetts for beating his wife in 1647. It appears that this was about the same time that the Hearnden's moved to Rhode Island, although it is possible that they shuttled from Lynn to Providence and back again for a few years, while they were establishing crops in Providence to support themselves, and while there was work for a bricklayer (Benjamin's occupation) in Massachusetts. He took the oath of allegiance in Providence in 1648, and received a land grant in 1651, which may have been the first time he was old enough to receive a grant. He acquired several more plots of land during his lifetime, so that he was able to pass land on to each of his surviving sons.
Benjamin and Elizabeth each seem to have had difficulties with their neighbors. Elizabeth was found guilty of stealing clothing from Mary Pray, the wife of Richard Pray. (Elizabeth would marry Richard Pray as his second wife after Benjamin's death, so it's hard to figure out what was going on here). Elizabeth's family received a house lot next to that of Benjamin and Elizabeth, and there were court proceedings involving altercations between the two families. At another time, Benjamin was charged with inciting an Indian to kill John Clawson. John Clawson was killed by the Indian and the Indian was executed for it, but Benjamin was acquitted of being an accessory to the crime.
Benjamin had several dealings with our ancestor Roger Williams, and one writer says the two families were related. Another writer hints that it was Clawson that was Benjamin's relation. I've not found anything to connect Benjamin to either family, except as neighbors.
Benjamin died between February 1686/87 and May 17, 1687. His estate was probated about a year later and was valued at either 42 pounds and change, or 142 pounds and change (two different amounts reported and I've not yet found the original to judge for myself). His estate included the typical farm animals and implements as well as land. As mentioned above, Elizabeth married Richard Pray for her second husband. Benjamin and Elizabeth had nine children together, all adults by the time their father died.
It's an interesting couple. Benjamin was a Baptist with a not totally savory reputation, and Elizabeth was a Quaker who perhaps made little defense when charged with stealing clothes from the first wife of her second husband. It would be interesting to hear their sides of these issues. It would also be interesting to know what their reputation was in Providence. I'd also like to know whether it was Benjamin, or Benjamin Jr who participated in King Philip's War. (It appears that the Herendens did leave Providence when the town was burned, but returned fairly soon after.) Either way, I wonder what Elizabeth thought of her husband or son participating in war.
Our line of descent is:
Benjamin Hearnden-Elizabeth White
Alice Hearnden-Daniel Brown
Hosanna Brown-Mary Hawkins
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown (yes, cousins)
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Information abounds about this ancestor, and so do stories that can't be proven. Also people look at the same set of facts and draw different conclusions. So, I'll just say that some people think his parents were James Harrington and Ann Clinton-Fiennes, which lines probably trace back to English nobility. Others say his father was likely Robert Harrington. It is known that James and Ann had a son named Benjamin and that they all came to Boston in 1630. James died in 1630 and Ann in 1632 and Benjamin went to live with an uncle, Charles Clinton-Fiennes. The story goes that Charles was a strict Puritan and Benjamin had become a Baptist. Uncle Charles severely flogged Benjamin for this, and Benjamin then went to Rhode Island. Another story says that when escaping to Rhode Island, Benjamin joined a family of Quakers also enroute to Providence Plantation, and that is how Benjamin met his future wife. These are stories and speculation only, but it seems to be true that Benjamin was a Baptist and Elizabeth White, his wife, was a Quaker. Choose for yourself how much of the story, or which stories, you want to believe.
What is well documented is that Benjamin had some run ins with the law in Massachusetts. There was a man of his name presented in court in Lynn, Massachusetts for beating his wife in 1647. It appears that this was about the same time that the Hearnden's moved to Rhode Island, although it is possible that they shuttled from Lynn to Providence and back again for a few years, while they were establishing crops in Providence to support themselves, and while there was work for a bricklayer (Benjamin's occupation) in Massachusetts. He took the oath of allegiance in Providence in 1648, and received a land grant in 1651, which may have been the first time he was old enough to receive a grant. He acquired several more plots of land during his lifetime, so that he was able to pass land on to each of his surviving sons.
Benjamin and Elizabeth each seem to have had difficulties with their neighbors. Elizabeth was found guilty of stealing clothing from Mary Pray, the wife of Richard Pray. (Elizabeth would marry Richard Pray as his second wife after Benjamin's death, so it's hard to figure out what was going on here). Elizabeth's family received a house lot next to that of Benjamin and Elizabeth, and there were court proceedings involving altercations between the two families. At another time, Benjamin was charged with inciting an Indian to kill John Clawson. John Clawson was killed by the Indian and the Indian was executed for it, but Benjamin was acquitted of being an accessory to the crime.
Benjamin had several dealings with our ancestor Roger Williams, and one writer says the two families were related. Another writer hints that it was Clawson that was Benjamin's relation. I've not found anything to connect Benjamin to either family, except as neighbors.
Benjamin died between February 1686/87 and May 17, 1687. His estate was probated about a year later and was valued at either 42 pounds and change, or 142 pounds and change (two different amounts reported and I've not yet found the original to judge for myself). His estate included the typical farm animals and implements as well as land. As mentioned above, Elizabeth married Richard Pray for her second husband. Benjamin and Elizabeth had nine children together, all adults by the time their father died.
It's an interesting couple. Benjamin was a Baptist with a not totally savory reputation, and Elizabeth was a Quaker who perhaps made little defense when charged with stealing clothes from the first wife of her second husband. It would be interesting to hear their sides of these issues. It would also be interesting to know what their reputation was in Providence. I'd also like to know whether it was Benjamin, or Benjamin Jr who participated in King Philip's War. (It appears that the Herendens did leave Providence when the town was burned, but returned fairly soon after.) Either way, I wonder what Elizabeth thought of her husband or son participating in war.
Our line of descent is:
Benjamin Hearnden-Elizabeth White
Alice Hearnden-Daniel Brown
Hosanna Brown-Mary Hawkins
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown (yes, cousins)
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Friday, December 14, 2018
Holbrook line: Richard Harding, Immigrant
Richard Harding is an immigrant. We know that because he died in Braintree, Massachusetts on December 27, 1657, a few days after writing his will there. That's pretty much the one sure thing we know about him. The rest of what I will write is information, or possibly speculation, that I can't document.
Richard is thought to have been born in 1587 in Boreham, Devonshire, England to John and Mary Greene Harding. The family later moved to Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, perhaps. Richard was one of several children, but he isn't mentioned in the will of his fagther. He was already in America when his father died, so it is quite possible that he had already received what would have been his inheritance, perhaps as a gift to help Richard get settled here.
Richard is supposed to have arrived in 1623 with a wife and an infant son. The "infant" son may have been John, was was born about 1620, or it may have been Stephen, our ancestor, who was born in 1623, believed to have been born in America. Richard made his living as a mariner and fisherman, living not far from Weymouth Landing. It would have been very difficult for Richard's wife to stay at home with two small children while Richard was at sea.
We don't know what kind of house Richard had, but it's speculated that he lived on land given him by his aunt's husband, Sir Robert Gorges. Sir Robert had been given the land in an effort to plant a colony there. Richard evidently lived there all his life. A confusing statement is that he helped settle Rhode Island and was a follower and supporter of Roger Williams. Richard was granted freeman status in 1648 in Massachusetts, so it's hard to imagine that he also was supporting Roger Williams, who had been banished to what became Rhode Island in 1636.
This is as much as I know, think I know, or have my doubts about, Richard Harding. Definitely he was here, and it's highly likely he was the father of Stephen Harding. Beyond that, I have no documentation. He isn't mentioned in any of the Great Migrations literature, that I've found. So take it with a grain of salt, and if you know something contrary to what I've said, or supporting it, with documentation, please let me know!
The line of descent is:
Richard Harding-unknown first wife
Stephen Harding-Bridget Estance
Abraham Harding-Deborah Gardner
Mercy Harding-Samuel Winsor
Joseph Winsor-Deborah Mathewson
Lillis Winsor-Nathan Paine
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Richard is thought to have been born in 1587 in Boreham, Devonshire, England to John and Mary Greene Harding. The family later moved to Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, perhaps. Richard was one of several children, but he isn't mentioned in the will of his fagther. He was already in America when his father died, so it is quite possible that he had already received what would have been his inheritance, perhaps as a gift to help Richard get settled here.
Richard is supposed to have arrived in 1623 with a wife and an infant son. The "infant" son may have been John, was was born about 1620, or it may have been Stephen, our ancestor, who was born in 1623, believed to have been born in America. Richard made his living as a mariner and fisherman, living not far from Weymouth Landing. It would have been very difficult for Richard's wife to stay at home with two small children while Richard was at sea.
We don't know what kind of house Richard had, but it's speculated that he lived on land given him by his aunt's husband, Sir Robert Gorges. Sir Robert had been given the land in an effort to plant a colony there. Richard evidently lived there all his life. A confusing statement is that he helped settle Rhode Island and was a follower and supporter of Roger Williams. Richard was granted freeman status in 1648 in Massachusetts, so it's hard to imagine that he also was supporting Roger Williams, who had been banished to what became Rhode Island in 1636.
This is as much as I know, think I know, or have my doubts about, Richard Harding. Definitely he was here, and it's highly likely he was the father of Stephen Harding. Beyond that, I have no documentation. He isn't mentioned in any of the Great Migrations literature, that I've found. So take it with a grain of salt, and if you know something contrary to what I've said, or supporting it, with documentation, please let me know!
The line of descent is:
Richard Harding-unknown first wife
Stephen Harding-Bridget Estance
Abraham Harding-Deborah Gardner
Mercy Harding-Samuel Winsor
Joseph Winsor-Deborah Mathewson
Lillis Winsor-Nathan Paine
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Holbrook line: Henry Stevens, Immigrant
Henry Stevens is another man of mystery, prior to his immigration to Massachusetts Bay Colony on the Defiance in 1635. His age on the records is given as 24 at that time, so his birth date would be about 1611, and it's probably safe to say his origins were in England. The ship sailed from London, which may or may not mean he was from somewhere in the southeast section of the country. Alice Stevens, believed to be Henry's wife, came at the same time on a separate ship, the Abigail. We don't know why they sailed on separate ships and that is a mystery I'd like to solve. At any rate, it appears that they were married before they came to America, perhaps shortly before.
Their first home was in Lynn but they were in Boston by 1641. Alice was admitted to the Boston church on June 18, 1643, and Henry Stevens was admitted February 8, 1651/2. Sometime between April 11, 1649 and February 1651/52, Alice had died and Henry was married to Mary Buckmaster. Their first child was born May 28, 1652, so Henry wasn't a widow for long. Henry and Alice's first three children were baptized on the same day that Alice became a member of the church (having children baptized was sometimes a prime motivator in joining a church; at least one parent had to belong to the church.) John, James, Joseph, Deborah and Deliverance were the children of Henry and Alice. Henry's children with Mary were Joanna, Henry, Thomas, Joshua, John, Samuel, Silence, and Mary. This was quite a family to raise! Son John was nearly 33 years old when Mary, the last child, was born in 1670.
Fortunately, Henry had a good trade. He was a mason, and likely moved from Lynn to Boston when he realized there was more work available at Boston. (Robert Charles Anderson suggests that Henry was a servant to John Humfrey, who left to return permanently to England, about the time that Henry moved to Boston. He further suggests that Henry, as a servant to Humfrey, had burned down Humfrey's bar. My inference is that this was likely an accident, because years were added to Henry's servitude, rather than Henry being imprisoned or even sentenced to death, as would have happened if it were considered a crime.
Henry had at least some education because he signed his name on deeds, and when he died his estate included books. He became a freeman on May 26, 1652, and was appointed to committees to set boundaries between towns. He was also a constable at least twice, and a tithingman. One of the deeds refers to Henry Stevens as a husbandman, so he must have done some farming, or at least owned farmland, also.
When Henry died on June 11, 1690, James and Joseph had predeceased him, as Henry left small bequests to their children. His estate totaled 411 pounds 10 shillings, of which 381 pounds was real estate in several different locations.
I have not been able to find what became of Mary. Information on various genealogy web sites gives her death as 1684. If this is accurate, then Henry, who wrote his will in 1688, had remarried and his third wife was also Mary, for he mentions her by name in his will. This would be a mystery that a descendant of Henry and Mary might want to try to solve. Our tree comes through Henry and Alice, so my interest is in identifying Alice.
The line of descent is:
Henry Stevens-Alice
John Stevens-Elizabeth Hildreth
Joseph Stevens-Elizabeth Tidd
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Their first home was in Lynn but they were in Boston by 1641. Alice was admitted to the Boston church on June 18, 1643, and Henry Stevens was admitted February 8, 1651/2. Sometime between April 11, 1649 and February 1651/52, Alice had died and Henry was married to Mary Buckmaster. Their first child was born May 28, 1652, so Henry wasn't a widow for long. Henry and Alice's first three children were baptized on the same day that Alice became a member of the church (having children baptized was sometimes a prime motivator in joining a church; at least one parent had to belong to the church.) John, James, Joseph, Deborah and Deliverance were the children of Henry and Alice. Henry's children with Mary were Joanna, Henry, Thomas, Joshua, John, Samuel, Silence, and Mary. This was quite a family to raise! Son John was nearly 33 years old when Mary, the last child, was born in 1670.
Fortunately, Henry had a good trade. He was a mason, and likely moved from Lynn to Boston when he realized there was more work available at Boston. (Robert Charles Anderson suggests that Henry was a servant to John Humfrey, who left to return permanently to England, about the time that Henry moved to Boston. He further suggests that Henry, as a servant to Humfrey, had burned down Humfrey's bar. My inference is that this was likely an accident, because years were added to Henry's servitude, rather than Henry being imprisoned or even sentenced to death, as would have happened if it were considered a crime.
Henry had at least some education because he signed his name on deeds, and when he died his estate included books. He became a freeman on May 26, 1652, and was appointed to committees to set boundaries between towns. He was also a constable at least twice, and a tithingman. One of the deeds refers to Henry Stevens as a husbandman, so he must have done some farming, or at least owned farmland, also.
When Henry died on June 11, 1690, James and Joseph had predeceased him, as Henry left small bequests to their children. His estate totaled 411 pounds 10 shillings, of which 381 pounds was real estate in several different locations.
I have not been able to find what became of Mary. Information on various genealogy web sites gives her death as 1684. If this is accurate, then Henry, who wrote his will in 1688, had remarried and his third wife was also Mary, for he mentions her by name in his will. This would be a mystery that a descendant of Henry and Mary might want to try to solve. Our tree comes through Henry and Alice, so my interest is in identifying Alice.
The line of descent is:
Henry Stevens-Alice
John Stevens-Elizabeth Hildreth
Joseph Stevens-Elizabeth Tidd
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, December 7, 2018
Holbrook line: William Fifield, newly found immigrant
William Fifield is a recent addition to our family tree. When I learned who the Lucy Snow was who married Josiah Whittemore, she came with quite a well researched genealogy. William Fifield was one of those finds. I love it when an ancestor has been written up by Robert Charles Anderson in The Great Migration series! What I don't love about William Fifield is that he lived in a state and county that I'm not familiar with. That means I not only have more research to do, but I have to learn how to do the research in New Hampshire. However, I digress.
William Fifield was born about 1614 somewhere in England. A case has been made that he is from Littleton, Hampshire, England, and some believe his ancestry can be traced back another four or five generations. I'm not convinced, but I'm sure going to look into it. His birthdate is approximated from various depositions he gave in his adult life, when he said that he was of a certain age at that time. It isn't known who his wife may have been, other than her given name of Mary. They likely married after each immigrated.
The first record we have of William is his oath of fidelity given when he immigrated on the Hercules, in 1634. It arrived at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony in April of that year. Since there were only 12 known passengers on this ship, either it was very small or it carried primarily cargo. In 1634, most of what the colony used would have been imported from "home". It was, after all, a colony. He lived at Ipswich for a short time, then at Newbury, and in 1639 went to Hampton, in what is now New Hampshire. It appears that he spent the rest of his life there.
Hampton would have been a good place to raise a family. It was on the Atlantic Ocean, so there was likely a maritime business. If not, at least it was pretty! Good water was available, and there were vast fields of timber nearby. William and Mary may have had as many as nine children, the last born in 1660/61. Two children did not survive infancy, but the others reached adulthood and married.
There is a possibility that William was somehow related to the Fifields of Barbados, but that needs more study. If it turns out to be true, one could wonder ships sailing to or from Hampton would have carried family members. It also makes one wonder whether there was any slave trade involved.
William acquired land both by grants and by purchase, but I don't know enough about land in New Hampshire at this time period to figure out whether he acquired more than the typical resident.
William had some amount of education, because he signed his name to deeds. He was made a freeman in 1641, which gave him the right to vote and to hold office. He held the office of timber surveyor, selectman, constable, and deputy constable at various times, and was frequently a petit juror. He also served on a committee to set the boundary between Portsmouth and Hampton.
This is what I know about William Fifield. I'd like to learn his origins and his wife's maiden name. I'd like to know about his military service (he had some, because he was excused from military training in the later years of his life), and how active he was in church. But, welcome to our family, William Fifield! I'm glad you made your presence known.
The line of descent is:
William Fifield-Mary
Elizabeth Fifield-John Tidd
Elizabeth Tidd-Joseph Stevens
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
William Fifield was born about 1614 somewhere in England. A case has been made that he is from Littleton, Hampshire, England, and some believe his ancestry can be traced back another four or five generations. I'm not convinced, but I'm sure going to look into it. His birthdate is approximated from various depositions he gave in his adult life, when he said that he was of a certain age at that time. It isn't known who his wife may have been, other than her given name of Mary. They likely married after each immigrated.
The first record we have of William is his oath of fidelity given when he immigrated on the Hercules, in 1634. It arrived at Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony in April of that year. Since there were only 12 known passengers on this ship, either it was very small or it carried primarily cargo. In 1634, most of what the colony used would have been imported from "home". It was, after all, a colony. He lived at Ipswich for a short time, then at Newbury, and in 1639 went to Hampton, in what is now New Hampshire. It appears that he spent the rest of his life there.
Hampton would have been a good place to raise a family. It was on the Atlantic Ocean, so there was likely a maritime business. If not, at least it was pretty! Good water was available, and there were vast fields of timber nearby. William and Mary may have had as many as nine children, the last born in 1660/61. Two children did not survive infancy, but the others reached adulthood and married.
There is a possibility that William was somehow related to the Fifields of Barbados, but that needs more study. If it turns out to be true, one could wonder ships sailing to or from Hampton would have carried family members. It also makes one wonder whether there was any slave trade involved.
William acquired land both by grants and by purchase, but I don't know enough about land in New Hampshire at this time period to figure out whether he acquired more than the typical resident.
William had some amount of education, because he signed his name to deeds. He was made a freeman in 1641, which gave him the right to vote and to hold office. He held the office of timber surveyor, selectman, constable, and deputy constable at various times, and was frequently a petit juror. He also served on a committee to set the boundary between Portsmouth and Hampton.
This is what I know about William Fifield. I'd like to learn his origins and his wife's maiden name. I'd like to know about his military service (he had some, because he was excused from military training in the later years of his life), and how active he was in church. But, welcome to our family, William Fifield! I'm glad you made your presence known.
The line of descent is:
William Fifield-Mary
Elizabeth Fifield-John Tidd
Elizabeth Tidd-Joseph Stevens
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Holbrook line: Joseph Morse 1610-1690 Immigrant
Perhaps I should be writing this about the Joseph Morse who died in 1646 in Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony and who had a son named Joseph, mentioned in his will, but Robert Charles Anderson is not willing to state that Joseph of Ipswich is the father of Joseph of Watertown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, so I will only present that as a possibility. The Joseph Morse I will write of was born about 1610, somewhere in England and sailed on the Elizabeth from Ipswich, England in 1634.
Joseph was listed as 24 years of age at the time. He apparently went straight to Watertown and stayed there is whole life. He was admitted to the Watertown Church and was granted the status of freeman on May 6, 1635. He was a weaver by trade but also received several grants of land, including meadow and "upland" as well as a farm of 73 acres, all as grants. He may have rented these lands out or he may have farmed them himself. He was married by about 1637 to Esther or Hester Piece, daughter of John and Elizabeth (possibly Stoker) Pierce, also of Watertown. Joseph and Esther had at least seven children, six of whom lived until adulthood. This was a pretty decent survival rate for the time and indicates that Joseph and Esther were probably not "dirt poor", although they may have struggled during the early years. Another indication that the family was surviving economically was that they accepted at least one child into their care, who was three years old at the time and who became an apprentice at the age of five, unless these are two different children with the same father.
Joseph apparently did not take an active part in the civic life of Watertown, although he was a fence viewer for a term. Raising several children, carrying on a trade as well as (likely) a farming operation may have left him little time for public service. When Joseph died in 1689/90, his estate was very small, just a little over six pounds. He had already disposed of his land holdings and probably was living with or under the care of one or more of his children. Esther lived until 1694.
This is not much information to fill in the "dash" for a man who lived about 80 years. I have a book on my "to read" shelf about Watertown, and although I didn't find his name in the index, perhaps the book will be able to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge of Joseph and how he lived. We do know that he farmed, he worked, he attended church, he voted, and he served as "master" to at least one child beside his own.
One other thing: He is listed as the ancestor of Calvin Coolidge and of Richard Nixon.
The line of descent is:
Joseph Morse-Esther Pierce
Joseph Morse-Susanna Shattuck
Esther Morse-Nathaniel Joslin
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Joseph was listed as 24 years of age at the time. He apparently went straight to Watertown and stayed there is whole life. He was admitted to the Watertown Church and was granted the status of freeman on May 6, 1635. He was a weaver by trade but also received several grants of land, including meadow and "upland" as well as a farm of 73 acres, all as grants. He may have rented these lands out or he may have farmed them himself. He was married by about 1637 to Esther or Hester Piece, daughter of John and Elizabeth (possibly Stoker) Pierce, also of Watertown. Joseph and Esther had at least seven children, six of whom lived until adulthood. This was a pretty decent survival rate for the time and indicates that Joseph and Esther were probably not "dirt poor", although they may have struggled during the early years. Another indication that the family was surviving economically was that they accepted at least one child into their care, who was three years old at the time and who became an apprentice at the age of five, unless these are two different children with the same father.
Joseph apparently did not take an active part in the civic life of Watertown, although he was a fence viewer for a term. Raising several children, carrying on a trade as well as (likely) a farming operation may have left him little time for public service. When Joseph died in 1689/90, his estate was very small, just a little over six pounds. He had already disposed of his land holdings and probably was living with or under the care of one or more of his children. Esther lived until 1694.
This is not much information to fill in the "dash" for a man who lived about 80 years. I have a book on my "to read" shelf about Watertown, and although I didn't find his name in the index, perhaps the book will be able to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge of Joseph and how he lived. We do know that he farmed, he worked, he attended church, he voted, and he served as "master" to at least one child beside his own.
One other thing: He is listed as the ancestor of Calvin Coolidge and of Richard Nixon.
The line of descent is:
Joseph Morse-Esther Pierce
Joseph Morse-Susanna Shattuck
Esther Morse-Nathaniel Joslin
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, November 30, 2018
Thomas Savory, maybe an immigrant?
This is more of a plea for help than a blog post, actually. I've had such difficulty in pinning this man down that about all I can write about him will be theories and speculation. The one thing I am reasonably certain of is that he married Mary (Marie) Woodcock (Woororke, or something similar) on January 26, 1595 in Hannington, Wiltshire, England. This would probably make his birth date sometime in the early 1570's but that is really just a guess. I show on my tree that his parents were Robert and Joan Savory, but I haven't seen good documentation for that and so I regard it merely as speculation. Robert and Joan did have a child named Thomas in that time period and location, but so did at least one other couple, so I say "show me".
We don't know when he came to America. In fact, there are those who don't think he came to America at all. Because his daughter was Elizabeth Savory who married Samuel Eddy in Massachusetts Bay Colony, I lean toward the idea that he was here but I have no proof. He most likely is not the Thomas who came to America in 1633, and neither is he the one who came on the Mary and John in 1634.
There is even considerable dispute about his children. Some lists do not include Elizabeth, but she does seem to fit in this family, due to her birth date of May 1607, between two of her brothers. It's possible that Elizabeth came to America without her parents, but no proof has been found.
So Thomas is a mystery, and I'm asking for help in finding him. If he came to America, he deserves recognition. If he didn't come to America, then how did Elizabeth get here, and were Thomas and Mary her parents?
This blog post is written as quite evident proof that there is much more to be learn about our ancestors. Did Thomas come to America and possibly live just a short time? Did he stay in England and perhaps perish in the Civil War there? Did he die on board ship? How did he stay under the radar for so long? I hope to update this blog post at some point in the future, but let this be evidence that finding accurate information about our ancestors is difficult!
The (supposed) line of descent is:
Thomas Savory-Mary Woodcocke
Elizabeth Savory-Samuel Eddy
Zechariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zechariah Eddy-Anphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
We don't know when he came to America. In fact, there are those who don't think he came to America at all. Because his daughter was Elizabeth Savory who married Samuel Eddy in Massachusetts Bay Colony, I lean toward the idea that he was here but I have no proof. He most likely is not the Thomas who came to America in 1633, and neither is he the one who came on the Mary and John in 1634.
There is even considerable dispute about his children. Some lists do not include Elizabeth, but she does seem to fit in this family, due to her birth date of May 1607, between two of her brothers. It's possible that Elizabeth came to America without her parents, but no proof has been found.
So Thomas is a mystery, and I'm asking for help in finding him. If he came to America, he deserves recognition. If he didn't come to America, then how did Elizabeth get here, and were Thomas and Mary her parents?
This blog post is written as quite evident proof that there is much more to be learn about our ancestors. Did Thomas come to America and possibly live just a short time? Did he stay in England and perhaps perish in the Civil War there? Did he die on board ship? How did he stay under the radar for so long? I hope to update this blog post at some point in the future, but let this be evidence that finding accurate information about our ancestors is difficult!
The (supposed) line of descent is:
Thomas Savory-Mary Woodcocke
Elizabeth Savory-Samuel Eddy
Zechariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zechariah Eddy-Anphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Thomas Hanchett, Immigrant
Thomas is another mystery ancestor. We know nothing of his ancestry although there are various theories. He was probably born about 1620, and probably in England, but right now that is as close as we can come to an origin for him, We know nothing of him until we find him being granted a house lot in Wethersfield, Connecticut on February 28, 1647. This was shortly before he married Deliverance Langton, daughter of George Langton on September 22, 1647. The marriage may have occurred in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, but there seems to be no record available.
Thomas and Deliverance had four children, probably all born in Wethersfield, Thomas, John, Deliverance and Hannah. The granting of the house lot may indicate that Thomas was already a settler there, since the town was founded about 1637, or it may indicate that the town wanted him there for some reason, such as a skill or trade he might have had. I've found no record that indicates an occupation for Thomas.
In 1660, the family moved to Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Boy Colony, where they lived on land granted them by Deliverance's father. Thomas took the oath of fidelity there, and was made a freeman in 1661, giving him the right to vote and hold office. The Hanchetts stayed in Northampton until about 1679, when they moved to Suffield, where Thomas was a founder. One source says that Hanchett also lived at New London, Connecticut and Westfield, Massachusetts. If this is accurate, then we have to wonder about Thomas. Was he difficult to get along with, did he have religious misgivings, or did he simply have a trade, such as millwright or home builder, that encouraged him to go where the new villages were forming? I hope to find more information about this.
Thomas is given the title of deacon in his death record. He served in that capacity at both Northampton and at Suffield. His Wikitree profile shows Thomas's signature, which is the only indication we have of a possible educational level.
Thomas died June 11, 1686 but so far I have not located a will or estate papers. Deliverance married Jonathan Burt that same year, and lived until 1711.
I'm hoping that a book about Thomas Hanchett will appear under the Christmas tree and perhaps after I read it I will have a better understanding of his life. We know, however, that he was one of those who chose to come to America, that he lived in frontier towns in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and that whatever he did for a living, he helped build our country.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Hanchett-Deliverance Langton
John Hanchett-Esther Pritchard
John Hanchett-Lydia Hayward
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thomas and Deliverance had four children, probably all born in Wethersfield, Thomas, John, Deliverance and Hannah. The granting of the house lot may indicate that Thomas was already a settler there, since the town was founded about 1637, or it may indicate that the town wanted him there for some reason, such as a skill or trade he might have had. I've found no record that indicates an occupation for Thomas.
In 1660, the family moved to Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Boy Colony, where they lived on land granted them by Deliverance's father. Thomas took the oath of fidelity there, and was made a freeman in 1661, giving him the right to vote and hold office. The Hanchetts stayed in Northampton until about 1679, when they moved to Suffield, where Thomas was a founder. One source says that Hanchett also lived at New London, Connecticut and Westfield, Massachusetts. If this is accurate, then we have to wonder about Thomas. Was he difficult to get along with, did he have religious misgivings, or did he simply have a trade, such as millwright or home builder, that encouraged him to go where the new villages were forming? I hope to find more information about this.
Thomas is given the title of deacon in his death record. He served in that capacity at both Northampton and at Suffield. His Wikitree profile shows Thomas's signature, which is the only indication we have of a possible educational level.
Thomas died June 11, 1686 but so far I have not located a will or estate papers. Deliverance married Jonathan Burt that same year, and lived until 1711.
I'm hoping that a book about Thomas Hanchett will appear under the Christmas tree and perhaps after I read it I will have a better understanding of his life. We know, however, that he was one of those who chose to come to America, that he lived in frontier towns in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and that whatever he did for a living, he helped build our country.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Hanchett-Deliverance Langton
John Hanchett-Esther Pritchard
John Hanchett-Lydia Hayward
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, November 23, 2018
Molly Wright Holbrook: I found her!
All right. Molly is playing with me. She has haunted my dreams for years and now that I've found her, three times my almost finished blog post has completely disappeared from my screen. She seems to want her privacy, but after spending years, probably dozens and perhaps hundreds of hours, and $376.90 looking for her, I am going to tell what I've learned of her family, whether Molly likes it or not. (Just kidding, but why would this blog post keep disappearing?)
Molly has been the ancestor I've most wanted to find. She was probably incredibly feisty, since she raised nine children after her husband, Amariah Holbrook, died in 1797. She was unusual for the time in that she did not remarry, although remarriage would have given her some security for her family. But she has also been hidden, despite all the time and money I've spent looking for her, and I was beginning to think I'd never be able to identify her. I am so glad I was wrong!
I learned from searching the new database on American Ancestors, Norfolk County, Massachusetts probate files 1793-1877, that Jonathan Wright's estate was probated in April of 1797. He was from Franklin, Norfolk County, so I had hopes that he was some sort of relation to Molly, since that was her home before her marriage.
Imagine my joy to learn that Jonathan was Molly's father, and the relationship was clearly spelled out in the administration papers. More than that, three other children, siblings to Molly, were named. Seth was the sole surviving son and there was also Esther Aldis and Suzannah Wright, as well as a family I haven't yet identified. There seems to be a relationship but the wording is not specific so I'll need to research that.
I have learned that Jonathan married Rebecca )Rebecah) Willson or Wilson in 1741 in Wrentham, and the first three children were born during the early 1740s. Seth, in fact, was born about four months after the marriage. Molly wasn't born until 1759, and I still don't have a birth record for her so I don't know whether or not Rebecca is her mother. There was plenty of time between son Jonathan's birth in 1749 and Molly's in 1759 for Rebecca to have died and Jonathan to have remarried. Or perhaps they simply left the area for a time and then moved back. There is no mention of a wife in the estate packet, unless this other family somehow fits in there.
The main thing I learned about Molly from this discovery is that 1797 was a very hard year for this feisty woman. Son Lyman was born in February of 1797. Her father died before April 4, 1797, and her husband, Amariah, died September 7, 1797. On top of that, it became apparent that her father's estate was insolvent, so there would be no inheritance. Molly would soon start fighting for a pension for Amariah's Revolutionary War service, but I don't know what else she did to support herself. Spinning and weaving may have been one of the money making ventures.
Simply knowing that Molly did have a family, that she wasn't dropped from an alien space ship after all, is a joy. I hope to research Jonathan and Rebecca as time allows over the next weeks and months, but for now, I am content to leave Molly with her father, a yeoman of very little monetary worth when he died. But he's precious to me. He must have been a good father, to have given Molly the tools she needed to survive in this world. Oh, one other thing: In the probate papers, Amariah and Molly were the only two people to sign their names. The other children made their mark.
The line of descent is:
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Molly has been the ancestor I've most wanted to find. She was probably incredibly feisty, since she raised nine children after her husband, Amariah Holbrook, died in 1797. She was unusual for the time in that she did not remarry, although remarriage would have given her some security for her family. But she has also been hidden, despite all the time and money I've spent looking for her, and I was beginning to think I'd never be able to identify her. I am so glad I was wrong!
I learned from searching the new database on American Ancestors, Norfolk County, Massachusetts probate files 1793-1877, that Jonathan Wright's estate was probated in April of 1797. He was from Franklin, Norfolk County, so I had hopes that he was some sort of relation to Molly, since that was her home before her marriage.
Imagine my joy to learn that Jonathan was Molly's father, and the relationship was clearly spelled out in the administration papers. More than that, three other children, siblings to Molly, were named. Seth was the sole surviving son and there was also Esther Aldis and Suzannah Wright, as well as a family I haven't yet identified. There seems to be a relationship but the wording is not specific so I'll need to research that.
I have learned that Jonathan married Rebecca )Rebecah) Willson or Wilson in 1741 in Wrentham, and the first three children were born during the early 1740s. Seth, in fact, was born about four months after the marriage. Molly wasn't born until 1759, and I still don't have a birth record for her so I don't know whether or not Rebecca is her mother. There was plenty of time between son Jonathan's birth in 1749 and Molly's in 1759 for Rebecca to have died and Jonathan to have remarried. Or perhaps they simply left the area for a time and then moved back. There is no mention of a wife in the estate packet, unless this other family somehow fits in there.
The main thing I learned about Molly from this discovery is that 1797 was a very hard year for this feisty woman. Son Lyman was born in February of 1797. Her father died before April 4, 1797, and her husband, Amariah, died September 7, 1797. On top of that, it became apparent that her father's estate was insolvent, so there would be no inheritance. Molly would soon start fighting for a pension for Amariah's Revolutionary War service, but I don't know what else she did to support herself. Spinning and weaving may have been one of the money making ventures.
Simply knowing that Molly did have a family, that she wasn't dropped from an alien space ship after all, is a joy. I hope to research Jonathan and Rebecca as time allows over the next weeks and months, but for now, I am content to leave Molly with her father, a yeoman of very little monetary worth when he died. But he's precious to me. He must have been a good father, to have given Molly the tools she needed to survive in this world. Oh, one other thing: In the probate papers, Amariah and Molly were the only two people to sign their names. The other children made their mark.
The line of descent is:
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Holbrook line: Captain Miles Standish, Immigrant,
I/m really surprised that I haven't written about Miles (Myles) Standish yet, so the timing of this, during Thanksgiving week, seems appropriate. There is a lot of material about the Captain available, but there is still much to learn. Robert Charles Anderson thinks it is possible or even likely, but not proven, that Miles is the son of John Standish, of the Isle of Man, son of John, son of Huan. It has long been thought that Miles came from either the Isle of Man or Lancashire, and the two families seem to be somehow related, although the connection has not yet been found. He seems to have been born about 1583 or 1584,
Another mystery is when and under what circumstances he went to fight in the "Low Country". The two options put forth most often are that he went as a mercenary, during the war between the Low Countries and Spain, or that he served under Sir Horatio Vere, who was sent by Queen Elizabeth I to fight in Holland. Vere is known to have recruited soldiers in both Lancashire and the Isle of Man. It seems that there would be some sort of record if that were the case, but of course the English Civil War of the 1640s, as well as other causes of decay, confusion, and misplacing of records all mean that we may never find a roster with the name of Miles Standish on it. In any case, it appears that he retired from military service and stayed in Holland, where he had ample opportunity to meet with the men who would soon be known as Pilgrims.
Miles was hired by the Pilgrims to be their military advisor, so it appears that he wasn't one of the Pilgrims. He was Protestant, though, and hIn 1620, whas been called Puritan. If this is accurate, the difference in beliefs between his own and the Pilgrims would not have been large' primarily, the Separatists wanted to live separately, away from established religion as they knew it, and the Puritans were interested in reforming the Church of England, to make it a simpler and less ornate religion.
In 1620, when the Pilgrims left Holland and then England for the New World, Miles and his wife Rose were on board the Mayflower, Rose, however, died during that first winter, along with many of the other Pilgrims, due to exposure and disease as well as inadequate food. His second wife, Barbara, arrived on the ship "Anne" in 1623. This seems to be someone Miles already knew but Anderson is not willing to identify her further. It has been suggested that she was the sister of Rose,
Captain Myles' s occupation is listed only as "soldier", but he did much more than construct the defenses at Plymouth Plantation. He led men on military expeditions, which were mainly again the native Americans but also against the Dutch in the war against the Dutch. He is said to have had a violent temper, but he was working in difficult conditions with difficult men so I'll give him a pass on that. He was a councilor, a free man, an assistant, deputy governor, treasurer of the colony, and on the Council of War. He was also the commander of the military forces. He was still listed os able to bear arms in 1643, when he would have been just about 60 years of age.
While we don't know the extent of his education, he was the treasurer so he must have had at least rudimentary arithmetic skills, and perhaps more than that. He had several dozen books in his inventory when he died, including three Bibles, Honer's Iliad and Caesar's Commentaries. I think we can say he had an education, whether formal or not .
He and his wife had 7 children, and by 1643 had moved with his family to Duxbury, a new settlement in Plymouth Colony. There he lived out his days, and died on October 3, 1656, Barbara died sometime after October 6, 1659. (She apparently did not remarry). Myles's estate was valued at 358 pounds, 7 shillings, which was not too bad for a "soldier". He must have had a good business sense, too.
Although I certainly wish the situation with the native Americans could have been handled differently, in general Myles Standish is worth our respect and honor. The situations that he lived through were remarkable and more difficult than we can imagine. I'm glad we're part of his family.
The line of descent is:
Miles Standish-Barbara
Josiah Standish-Sarah Allen
Josiah Standish-Sarah Doty
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford (Lundsford)
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Another mystery is when and under what circumstances he went to fight in the "Low Country". The two options put forth most often are that he went as a mercenary, during the war between the Low Countries and Spain, or that he served under Sir Horatio Vere, who was sent by Queen Elizabeth I to fight in Holland. Vere is known to have recruited soldiers in both Lancashire and the Isle of Man. It seems that there would be some sort of record if that were the case, but of course the English Civil War of the 1640s, as well as other causes of decay, confusion, and misplacing of records all mean that we may never find a roster with the name of Miles Standish on it. In any case, it appears that he retired from military service and stayed in Holland, where he had ample opportunity to meet with the men who would soon be known as Pilgrims.
Miles was hired by the Pilgrims to be their military advisor, so it appears that he wasn't one of the Pilgrims. He was Protestant, though, and hIn 1620, whas been called Puritan. If this is accurate, the difference in beliefs between his own and the Pilgrims would not have been large' primarily, the Separatists wanted to live separately, away from established religion as they knew it, and the Puritans were interested in reforming the Church of England, to make it a simpler and less ornate religion.
In 1620, when the Pilgrims left Holland and then England for the New World, Miles and his wife Rose were on board the Mayflower, Rose, however, died during that first winter, along with many of the other Pilgrims, due to exposure and disease as well as inadequate food. His second wife, Barbara, arrived on the ship "Anne" in 1623. This seems to be someone Miles already knew but Anderson is not willing to identify her further. It has been suggested that she was the sister of Rose,
Captain Myles' s occupation is listed only as "soldier", but he did much more than construct the defenses at Plymouth Plantation. He led men on military expeditions, which were mainly again the native Americans but also against the Dutch in the war against the Dutch. He is said to have had a violent temper, but he was working in difficult conditions with difficult men so I'll give him a pass on that. He was a councilor, a free man, an assistant, deputy governor, treasurer of the colony, and on the Council of War. He was also the commander of the military forces. He was still listed os able to bear arms in 1643, when he would have been just about 60 years of age.
While we don't know the extent of his education, he was the treasurer so he must have had at least rudimentary arithmetic skills, and perhaps more than that. He had several dozen books in his inventory when he died, including three Bibles, Honer's Iliad and Caesar's Commentaries. I think we can say he had an education, whether formal or not .
He and his wife had 7 children, and by 1643 had moved with his family to Duxbury, a new settlement in Plymouth Colony. There he lived out his days, and died on October 3, 1656, Barbara died sometime after October 6, 1659. (She apparently did not remarry). Myles's estate was valued at 358 pounds, 7 shillings, which was not too bad for a "soldier". He must have had a good business sense, too.
Although I certainly wish the situation with the native Americans could have been handled differently, in general Myles Standish is worth our respect and honor. The situations that he lived through were remarkable and more difficult than we can imagine. I'm glad we're part of his family.
The line of descent is:
Miles Standish-Barbara
Josiah Standish-Sarah Allen
Josiah Standish-Sarah Doty
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford (Lundsford)
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, November 16, 2018
Holbrook line: Richard Hildreth, Immigrant
The only reason I haven't written about Richard Hildreth before is that he is one of the recent funds I made when finally determining the identity of Lucy Snow Whittemore. That connection leads to several more immigrant families, and this is one of them. Much has been found about Richard Hildreth but much more needs to be found. Still, my view on writing these posts is that something is better than nothing.
Among the "minor" details we don't know about Richard are the names of his parents, his birthdate or location, and the maiden name of his first wife. We're not at all sure about the maiden name of his second wife, either. Other than that,,,
We do know that he was in Massachusetts Bay Colony at least by May 10, 1643, when he was made a freeman. At the time, he resided in Cambridge. Some records indicate that he lived at Woburn but had his children christened in Cambridge, so it's possible that he moved. The two towns are about eleven miles apart now, but I don't know where the boundaries were then. Richard had come to America with his first wife, Sarah, and their two children. Sarah died at Cambridge June 15, 1644. He must have married Elizabeth, who may have been a Hinchman or Henchman, (but I've found nothing to document that) very soon after Sarah's death, because second wife's first child, Elizabeth, was born on September 21, 1646. Sarah and Richard had at least seven children. Based on the ages reported on their gravestones, Elizabeth was about 20 years younger than Richard and was probably only about twenty years old when she married.
In Cambridge, Richard was well respected and was a selectman of the town. He was also referred to as "sergeant", and most likely would have had this title as part of the military training band. Sometime in his life, he lost the use of his right hand. Whether this was as part of a military expedition, a training accident, or some other kind of accident is not known, not is it known exactly when this loss occurred.
He acquired land in Chelmsford in 1653 and he and the family had moved there sometime before 1658, when his a son was born at Chelmsford. In 1664 the Court granted him 150 additional acres of land because of the loss of his right hand, so we know that the incident occurred before that date. There doesn't appear to be a skirmish or war to which we can attribute it, but as mentioned above, there are several explanations. The Court would likely not have given land to those who had suffered non-military injuries, as far as I can tell.
Richard was a member of the church at Chelmsford and must have also been a member earlier, when he attained freeman status.
Richard died at Chelmsford February 23, 1693 and Elizabeth followed him a few months later. He had disposed of most of his property by the time of his death, as his inventory shows a value of only about 17 pounds. However, it did include four books, which tells us something. His mind may have still been active even at such an advanced age. His son Ephraim had the use of Richard's estate while Richard lived, and was appointed executor of the estate. Oldest son James was to get 20 shillings more than the others when the estate was settled.
So we're left wondering...Was his wife a Hinchman? How did Richard support himself, before and after the incident that cost him his right hand? Where was he born, and who were his parents? The search goes on.
The line of descent is:
Richard Hildreth-Elizabeth
Elizabeth Hildreth-John Stevens
Joseph Stevens-Elizabeth Tidd
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph R Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Among the "minor" details we don't know about Richard are the names of his parents, his birthdate or location, and the maiden name of his first wife. We're not at all sure about the maiden name of his second wife, either. Other than that,,,
We do know that he was in Massachusetts Bay Colony at least by May 10, 1643, when he was made a freeman. At the time, he resided in Cambridge. Some records indicate that he lived at Woburn but had his children christened in Cambridge, so it's possible that he moved. The two towns are about eleven miles apart now, but I don't know where the boundaries were then. Richard had come to America with his first wife, Sarah, and their two children. Sarah died at Cambridge June 15, 1644. He must have married Elizabeth, who may have been a Hinchman or Henchman, (but I've found nothing to document that) very soon after Sarah's death, because second wife's first child, Elizabeth, was born on September 21, 1646. Sarah and Richard had at least seven children. Based on the ages reported on their gravestones, Elizabeth was about 20 years younger than Richard and was probably only about twenty years old when she married.
In Cambridge, Richard was well respected and was a selectman of the town. He was also referred to as "sergeant", and most likely would have had this title as part of the military training band. Sometime in his life, he lost the use of his right hand. Whether this was as part of a military expedition, a training accident, or some other kind of accident is not known, not is it known exactly when this loss occurred.
He acquired land in Chelmsford in 1653 and he and the family had moved there sometime before 1658, when his a son was born at Chelmsford. In 1664 the Court granted him 150 additional acres of land because of the loss of his right hand, so we know that the incident occurred before that date. There doesn't appear to be a skirmish or war to which we can attribute it, but as mentioned above, there are several explanations. The Court would likely not have given land to those who had suffered non-military injuries, as far as I can tell.
Richard was a member of the church at Chelmsford and must have also been a member earlier, when he attained freeman status.
Richard died at Chelmsford February 23, 1693 and Elizabeth followed him a few months later. He had disposed of most of his property by the time of his death, as his inventory shows a value of only about 17 pounds. However, it did include four books, which tells us something. His mind may have still been active even at such an advanced age. His son Ephraim had the use of Richard's estate while Richard lived, and was appointed executor of the estate. Oldest son James was to get 20 shillings more than the others when the estate was settled.
So we're left wondering...Was his wife a Hinchman? How did Richard support himself, before and after the incident that cost him his right hand? Where was he born, and who were his parents? The search goes on.
The line of descent is:
Richard Hildreth-Elizabeth
Elizabeth Hildreth-John Stevens
Joseph Stevens-Elizabeth Tidd
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph R Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Holbrook line: Henry Brown, Immigrant
I've written earlier of Henry Brown's parents, William and Jane Mills or possibly Burgis of Rusper, Sussex, England. Henry was one of their seven children and was christened on December 28, 1626. Henry was with his parents on the voyage to America in 1645, when his mother and a sibling died during the ocean crossing. Henry was just 18 years old, and now he would have to help his father settle, as well as his two remaining sibilings. William settled on Long Island but Henry went to Providence, Rhode Island. This leads me to wonder what his religious beliefs were, and whether he was more comfortable under the religious freedom that Rhode Island offered, or whether his reason for going there was something entirely different.
Henry probably had received a good education in England, as his grandfather was a pastor. From the number of offices Henry held as an adult it is apparent that he also was regarded as a man of common sense. He was made a freeman in 1655, and at various times from 1656 to 1684 he was commissioner, constable, on the grand jury, town treasurer, deputy, assistant, and on the town council. It appears that he left his home in 1675 or 1676, during King Philip's War. He would have been about 50 years old, so possibly he served in the militia during that time although I haven't found his name on a militia list. He may have aged out by the time of the war.
He married Waite Waterman, the daughter of Richard and Bethiah Waite Waterman probably before 1670. He sold a house, one of the original home lots that had already been through several owners, in 1668 so it's possible this was in preparation for his marriage. Or perhaps Waite didn't care for the location for some reason. It was at almost the very north end of town and she may have wanted to live closer to her parents, who were aging.
Henry and Waite had at least five children, including son Richard who was born in 1676. Waite died sometime in or before 1682, leaving a family of young children. Henry remarried in 1682 to Hannah Field Mathewson, daughter of John Field and widow of James Mathewson. They had one child together.
We know that Henry was taxed at a rate of 8 shillings in 1687 and was on the list of those from whom a poll tax was due in 1688. After that, there is little notice of Henry in the records I've consulted.
He wrote his will on September 22, 1698 and was dead by February 20, 1702/03, when the will was probated. Unfortunately, I've not found a copy of the will, which I would dearly love to see. Did he love books as much as his father did? What religion did he profess? How had he made a living all these years? And was he a happy man? All we really know is that he was well respected in the community, and that he had a wife, and children. Yet, he is part of our family and we can respect him, just as his community did.
The line of descent is:
Henry Brown-Waite Waterman
Richard Brown-Mary Pray
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy=Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Henry probably had received a good education in England, as his grandfather was a pastor. From the number of offices Henry held as an adult it is apparent that he also was regarded as a man of common sense. He was made a freeman in 1655, and at various times from 1656 to 1684 he was commissioner, constable, on the grand jury, town treasurer, deputy, assistant, and on the town council. It appears that he left his home in 1675 or 1676, during King Philip's War. He would have been about 50 years old, so possibly he served in the militia during that time although I haven't found his name on a militia list. He may have aged out by the time of the war.
He married Waite Waterman, the daughter of Richard and Bethiah Waite Waterman probably before 1670. He sold a house, one of the original home lots that had already been through several owners, in 1668 so it's possible this was in preparation for his marriage. Or perhaps Waite didn't care for the location for some reason. It was at almost the very north end of town and she may have wanted to live closer to her parents, who were aging.
Henry and Waite had at least five children, including son Richard who was born in 1676. Waite died sometime in or before 1682, leaving a family of young children. Henry remarried in 1682 to Hannah Field Mathewson, daughter of John Field and widow of James Mathewson. They had one child together.
We know that Henry was taxed at a rate of 8 shillings in 1687 and was on the list of those from whom a poll tax was due in 1688. After that, there is little notice of Henry in the records I've consulted.
He wrote his will on September 22, 1698 and was dead by February 20, 1702/03, when the will was probated. Unfortunately, I've not found a copy of the will, which I would dearly love to see. Did he love books as much as his father did? What religion did he profess? How had he made a living all these years? And was he a happy man? All we really know is that he was well respected in the community, and that he had a wife, and children. Yet, he is part of our family and we can respect him, just as his community did.
The line of descent is:
Henry Brown-Waite Waterman
Richard Brown-Mary Pray
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy=Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, November 9, 2018
Holbrook line: Another John Page, Immigrant 1614-1687
We only think we know the year of John's birth. It appears to be based on his age at his death, which is always a little bit suspect if proof can't be found. So the year may be off, and we don't know his place of birth, and we don't know his parents. They were not John Page and Phebe Paine Page, whom I wrote about last week. They were not Robert and Lucia Warde Page as they were too young. I have seen a Robert Page and Margaret Goodwin listed, but they are not stated to have had a son John, although they continued to have children for years after Robert's death. Trust not in that suggestion!
So we don't know where John came from. It's believed he arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1635, but is not mentioned in Robert Charles Anderson's "Great Migrations" books. Speculation is that he came with George Marsh's family in 1635 as an indentured servant, and then married "the boss's daughter". He became a freeman at Hingham in 1640, which meant his indenture, if any, was complete by then. This implies church membership, and also gave John the right to vote and to hold office, sit on juries, and be an active citizen. About this same time, he married Mary Marsh, daughter of George Marsh, as their first child was baptized at Hingham on July 11, 1641.
In 1646, he was granted land in Haverhill, but apparently didn't move his family there right away as more children were baptized in Hingham after that date. (Of course, they could have simply liked the pastor in Hingham, or had other reasons for having the baptisms done there.) It appears that John was a carpenter and he may have been busy building homes and warehouses for Haverhill residents for several years, until he also was able to build a home for his own family. John and Mary had 12 children, including a still born son and an infant son who lived only a few months. In addition, they adopted Abigail Marsh, daughter of Mary's brother Onesiphorous, when she was fifteen years old, so it was a large family and probably needed a large house! John's house lot in Haverhill was on the river, which meant the boys probably did a lot of fishing, and there may have been some trading going on, too. A river lot was much to be desired.
John died November 23, 1687, and Mary died in 1697. He died without a will, but his estate wasn't settled until 1723. We don't know why there was a delay or what prompted the final settlement, but his grandson, Thomas Page, was the final executor.
John Page was a pioneer, who lived on the frontier during the early days of Massachusetts settlement. Since he was a carpenter, he literally helped build America. We can be proud of him.
The line of descent is:
John Page-Mary Marsh
Mercy Page-John Clough
Benoni Clough-Hannah Merrill
Benjamin Clough-Faith Hart
Lydia Clough-John Whittemore
John Whittemore-Lucy Snow
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
So we don't know where John came from. It's believed he arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1635, but is not mentioned in Robert Charles Anderson's "Great Migrations" books. Speculation is that he came with George Marsh's family in 1635 as an indentured servant, and then married "the boss's daughter". He became a freeman at Hingham in 1640, which meant his indenture, if any, was complete by then. This implies church membership, and also gave John the right to vote and to hold office, sit on juries, and be an active citizen. About this same time, he married Mary Marsh, daughter of George Marsh, as their first child was baptized at Hingham on July 11, 1641.
In 1646, he was granted land in Haverhill, but apparently didn't move his family there right away as more children were baptized in Hingham after that date. (Of course, they could have simply liked the pastor in Hingham, or had other reasons for having the baptisms done there.) It appears that John was a carpenter and he may have been busy building homes and warehouses for Haverhill residents for several years, until he also was able to build a home for his own family. John and Mary had 12 children, including a still born son and an infant son who lived only a few months. In addition, they adopted Abigail Marsh, daughter of Mary's brother Onesiphorous, when she was fifteen years old, so it was a large family and probably needed a large house! John's house lot in Haverhill was on the river, which meant the boys probably did a lot of fishing, and there may have been some trading going on, too. A river lot was much to be desired.
John died November 23, 1687, and Mary died in 1697. He died without a will, but his estate wasn't settled until 1723. We don't know why there was a delay or what prompted the final settlement, but his grandson, Thomas Page, was the final executor.
John Page was a pioneer, who lived on the frontier during the early days of Massachusetts settlement. Since he was a carpenter, he literally helped build America. We can be proud of him.
The line of descent is:
John Page-Mary Marsh
Mercy Page-John Clough
Benoni Clough-Hannah Merrill
Benjamin Clough-Faith Hart
Lydia Clough-John Whittemore
John Whittemore-Lucy Snow
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Holbrook line: Stanard or Stannard?
It's long been a debate in our family as to whether our grandmother's name was to be spelled Stannard or Stanard. She used the spelling Stannard but her father and her grandfather used the spelling Stannard.
Here's the explanation, as found in The Colville Examiner of February 8, 1919, page 4, located on the Chronicling America website. (Colville is the county seat of Stevens County, Washington).
" "What's in a Name"-Is Easily Explained
"The correct spelling of our county school superintendent's name has been a matter of controversy-that is, among outsiders. In the office there is no controversy, for the county superintendent spells her name Stannard, and her father (her deputy) spells his name Stanard. Each states the reason for the particular spelling, and lets it go at that. But it has been a matter of supposition among many of the Examiner readers that this paper was not correctly reading proof when these names were spelled differently. And recently, in the Baptist church news, it did look rather queer to see Supt. L.E. Stanard in one line, Leader Miss Elizabeth Stannard in the next.
But the Examiner was correct in both cases, and if any argument arises, it may have to be settled by the Stanard ancestry (or Stannard). For it was along about 1800, when the grandfather of the present L.E. Stanard was an innkeeper in Madison County, York state, that the change of spelling originated. It seems that the innkeeper had ordered a sign for his inn, as was the old custom, and the signboard was one of a certain size, and the lettering was also of a certain size. The lettering proved too long for the board, hence to adjust matters the sing painter simply left out an n from the name, and behold-a nice sign, perfectly proportioned.
The innkeeper, to keep matters straight with his sign, then had to drop an n from his name, and he did so, although his three brothers did not. The succeeding generations of the innkeeper have maintained the spelling Stanard, but all the other relatives use Stannard.
The present county superintendent wishes to retain the original spelling, but her father says he was born Stanard, and Stanard he will remain. So each has a name, and a reason for the name, and the Examiner's proofreader is not to blame when a different spelling appears."
This is interesting for several reasons. First, it more or less confirms an old family story, but according to this article the change came 100 years earlier and a thousand miles away from Franklin County, Kansas, which is where we thought the change came. Secondly, we now have an occupation for Louis E Stanard's grandfather. This may be Libbeus Stanard, Jr., who was a veteran of the War of 1812, but wasn't born until 1785. It more likely was his great grandfather, Libbeus Stanard Sr., who was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and who died in Madison County, New York, in 1846. Either the "about 1800" date is incorrect, or it was actually the great grandfather who was the innkeeper.
The county school superintendent referred to is Elizabeth Stannard, elected in 1916, before women had the right to vote in national elections. I found a record on line in some sort of public document that stated in the 1918-1919 school year, there were 118 "districts", presumably each with a school, in Stevens County, Washington. Elizabeth was quite a woman, but no wonder she needed an assistant! Just visiting each school once a year would have kept her busy, but she also had to supervise and report on extracurricular activities, community centers, how many events were held and whether they were educational or patriotic, and various other busy work. She eventually left her job and went to teach high school in Spokane, Washington, where she retired after many years of teaching Latin.
Did anyone notice that I've sort of tied elections, and veterans, into this same post, which will post on election day, just a few days before Veteran's Day? It worked out nicely!
The line of descent would be
Libbeus Stannard Sr.-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard Jr.-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stannard (she actually did spell her name with two n's, also)-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
And now we know!
Here's the explanation, as found in The Colville Examiner of February 8, 1919, page 4, located on the Chronicling America website. (Colville is the county seat of Stevens County, Washington).
" "What's in a Name"-Is Easily Explained
"The correct spelling of our county school superintendent's name has been a matter of controversy-that is, among outsiders. In the office there is no controversy, for the county superintendent spells her name Stannard, and her father (her deputy) spells his name Stanard. Each states the reason for the particular spelling, and lets it go at that. But it has been a matter of supposition among many of the Examiner readers that this paper was not correctly reading proof when these names were spelled differently. And recently, in the Baptist church news, it did look rather queer to see Supt. L.E. Stanard in one line, Leader Miss Elizabeth Stannard in the next.
But the Examiner was correct in both cases, and if any argument arises, it may have to be settled by the Stanard ancestry (or Stannard). For it was along about 1800, when the grandfather of the present L.E. Stanard was an innkeeper in Madison County, York state, that the change of spelling originated. It seems that the innkeeper had ordered a sign for his inn, as was the old custom, and the signboard was one of a certain size, and the lettering was also of a certain size. The lettering proved too long for the board, hence to adjust matters the sing painter simply left out an n from the name, and behold-a nice sign, perfectly proportioned.
The innkeeper, to keep matters straight with his sign, then had to drop an n from his name, and he did so, although his three brothers did not. The succeeding generations of the innkeeper have maintained the spelling Stanard, but all the other relatives use Stannard.
The present county superintendent wishes to retain the original spelling, but her father says he was born Stanard, and Stanard he will remain. So each has a name, and a reason for the name, and the Examiner's proofreader is not to blame when a different spelling appears."
This is interesting for several reasons. First, it more or less confirms an old family story, but according to this article the change came 100 years earlier and a thousand miles away from Franklin County, Kansas, which is where we thought the change came. Secondly, we now have an occupation for Louis E Stanard's grandfather. This may be Libbeus Stanard, Jr., who was a veteran of the War of 1812, but wasn't born until 1785. It more likely was his great grandfather, Libbeus Stanard Sr., who was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and who died in Madison County, New York, in 1846. Either the "about 1800" date is incorrect, or it was actually the great grandfather who was the innkeeper.
The county school superintendent referred to is Elizabeth Stannard, elected in 1916, before women had the right to vote in national elections. I found a record on line in some sort of public document that stated in the 1918-1919 school year, there were 118 "districts", presumably each with a school, in Stevens County, Washington. Elizabeth was quite a woman, but no wonder she needed an assistant! Just visiting each school once a year would have kept her busy, but she also had to supervise and report on extracurricular activities, community centers, how many events were held and whether they were educational or patriotic, and various other busy work. She eventually left her job and went to teach high school in Spokane, Washington, where she retired after many years of teaching Latin.
Did anyone notice that I've sort of tied elections, and veterans, into this same post, which will post on election day, just a few days before Veteran's Day? It worked out nicely!
The line of descent would be
Libbeus Stannard Sr.-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard Jr.-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stannard (she actually did spell her name with two n's, also)-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
And now we know!
Friday, November 2, 2018
John Page 1586-1676 Immigrant
Recently I broke through a "brick wall" and here is the first of what I hope will eventually be several blog posts about our "new" ancestors. I was hoping to find an inspiring story about this man, about how he started from nothing and became a respected member of society, or maybe how he was already a respected member of society when he arrived here. Sadly, neither situation seems to be the case. John Page was a man with faults, perhaps more faults than some of our other ancestors. His family here appears to be somewhat dysfunctional. It's not really the kind of post I like to write. But here it is.
John Page was most likely christened on September 25, 1586 in Boxted, Essex, England to Robert and Susanna Syckerling Page. He was "about 90 years old" when he died in 1676, and he stayed in the same general area until about 1630. One June 5, 1621, he married Phebe Paine, daughter of William and Agnes Neves Paine, at Lavenham, Suffolk, England. These two towns were about 14 mile apart but of course their homes may have been closer than that. When the Pages prepared for their move to America in 1630, they were living in Dedham, which was about 11 miles from Lavenham. Other folks from Dedham went with the Winthrop Fleet also, so the Pages were not alone.
Technically they weren't alone anyway, because at least two of their children, our two ancestors, were with them on the trip. Both children were born after several years of marriage so it's possible that there were other children, or other pregnancies, that we don't know about. Also several of Phoebe's siblings were in the area, so she probably saw them from time to time. And then, they were part of Rev. George Phillip's company, so they had brothers and sisters in Christ. John and Phoebe would have two more children in Watertown, but Daniel didn't live long. Samuel would join Phoebe against older brother John in a lawsuit after father John died in 1676.
John was appointed constable of the new town of Watertown in 1630, and admitted freeman there in 1631. He was a grantee in several land divisions in the early years of the town, but by 1642 was no longer receiving land through the town land divisions. Apparently he had already sold his homestead, which meant he was no longer eligible to acquire land by grant. He was in financial trouble early, writing such a desperate letter back to Dedham that a pastor there sent him some flour so he could feed his family. Was the man a poor money manager, or a speculator, or had he simply miscalculated how much money and food he would need in the New World? Maybe the loss of his home by fire in 1631 had forced him over the edge, financially.
John and Pheobe's daughter Phebe caused them grief. As she matured, she resented her father and had various ummm various escapades with men she wasn't married to. (This is a G rated blog, so I'm trying to be careful here). Apparently she could still get along with her mother, but her relationship with her father was cold and distant. She sued a man for defamation, for saying she was with child while unmarried, but there were a lot of witnesses against her and she lost the case. This was when Phebe reported she just wanted to go far away and lie down and die. Fortunately for us, she was not granted her wish.
We know little else about John. He apparently withdrew a little ways from town onto land he owned, and lived the rest of his life there. He and his wife Phebe lived in a half a dwelling, the other half perhaps occupied by John Page Jr. (Son John had gone to help settle Groton, Massachusetts but had returned to Watertown when Groton was burned during King Philip's War). John died December 18, 1676 and Phebe died less than a year later, on September 25, 1677.
There was quite a fight in court about John's estate. The inventory was not totaled but it included land valued at 50 pounds, and a Bible and two small books, plus various household goods and 2 cows. The court ruled that son John, executor, was entitled to all of the estate because of the care he had given his father in his old age. Samuel and Phoebe got nothing. This apparently caused quite a fuss in the town, as people took sides in the dispute, but the court ruling stood.
That's what we know about John Page. We don't know how faithful to the church he might have been, or how his life changed as he met economic reverses. We don't know why it seems that he didn't overcome them. We don't know why his daughter held him in such low esteem, or why she had her various escapades. We simply don't know why he might be diagnosed today as "failure to thrive". But he's our ancestor, and without him, where would we be?
Our line of descent is:
John Page-Phebe Paine
Phebe Page-James Cutler
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John Page was most likely christened on September 25, 1586 in Boxted, Essex, England to Robert and Susanna Syckerling Page. He was "about 90 years old" when he died in 1676, and he stayed in the same general area until about 1630. One June 5, 1621, he married Phebe Paine, daughter of William and Agnes Neves Paine, at Lavenham, Suffolk, England. These two towns were about 14 mile apart but of course their homes may have been closer than that. When the Pages prepared for their move to America in 1630, they were living in Dedham, which was about 11 miles from Lavenham. Other folks from Dedham went with the Winthrop Fleet also, so the Pages were not alone.
Technically they weren't alone anyway, because at least two of their children, our two ancestors, were with them on the trip. Both children were born after several years of marriage so it's possible that there were other children, or other pregnancies, that we don't know about. Also several of Phoebe's siblings were in the area, so she probably saw them from time to time. And then, they were part of Rev. George Phillip's company, so they had brothers and sisters in Christ. John and Phoebe would have two more children in Watertown, but Daniel didn't live long. Samuel would join Phoebe against older brother John in a lawsuit after father John died in 1676.
John was appointed constable of the new town of Watertown in 1630, and admitted freeman there in 1631. He was a grantee in several land divisions in the early years of the town, but by 1642 was no longer receiving land through the town land divisions. Apparently he had already sold his homestead, which meant he was no longer eligible to acquire land by grant. He was in financial trouble early, writing such a desperate letter back to Dedham that a pastor there sent him some flour so he could feed his family. Was the man a poor money manager, or a speculator, or had he simply miscalculated how much money and food he would need in the New World? Maybe the loss of his home by fire in 1631 had forced him over the edge, financially.
John and Pheobe's daughter Phebe caused them grief. As she matured, she resented her father and had various ummm various escapades with men she wasn't married to. (This is a G rated blog, so I'm trying to be careful here). Apparently she could still get along with her mother, but her relationship with her father was cold and distant. She sued a man for defamation, for saying she was with child while unmarried, but there were a lot of witnesses against her and she lost the case. This was when Phebe reported she just wanted to go far away and lie down and die. Fortunately for us, she was not granted her wish.
We know little else about John. He apparently withdrew a little ways from town onto land he owned, and lived the rest of his life there. He and his wife Phebe lived in a half a dwelling, the other half perhaps occupied by John Page Jr. (Son John had gone to help settle Groton, Massachusetts but had returned to Watertown when Groton was burned during King Philip's War). John died December 18, 1676 and Phebe died less than a year later, on September 25, 1677.
There was quite a fight in court about John's estate. The inventory was not totaled but it included land valued at 50 pounds, and a Bible and two small books, plus various household goods and 2 cows. The court ruled that son John, executor, was entitled to all of the estate because of the care he had given his father in his old age. Samuel and Phoebe got nothing. This apparently caused quite a fuss in the town, as people took sides in the dispute, but the court ruling stood.
That's what we know about John Page. We don't know how faithful to the church he might have been, or how his life changed as he met economic reverses. We don't know why it seems that he didn't overcome them. We don't know why his daughter held him in such low esteem, or why she had her various escapades. We simply don't know why he might be diagnosed today as "failure to thrive". But he's our ancestor, and without him, where would we be?
Our line of descent is:
John Page-Phebe Paine
Phebe Page-James Cutler
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Richard Pray, Immigrant 1630-1693
Update: After consideration, I've re-worded a couple of sentences in the blog regarding the physical fights that this couple had. I may have given the impression, by using words from some of the records, that Mary may have brought some abuse on herself. I've been asked by someone I love and respect to remove that wording, and so I have tried to clarify each person's role in their lose-lose situation. Of course, without being in the room with them, we will never know all that went on in their home but it's fair to draw a picture without drawing a conclusion.
This blog post may or may not be something you want to read. If you imagine that all our ancestors were devout Christians who kept a civil tongue in their head and treated their families with great love and respect, you may not want to read this post. If, however, you are of the belief that it's a good thing to know about all our ancestors, warts and all, read on. And if you like scandal, this is the post for you!
Richard Pray is generally accepted to be the son of Quentin and Joan Valliance Pray, of Frant, Sussex, England, although these doesn't seem to be documentation for his birth. Likely this means he was baptized somewhere else, perhaps in an ancestral church elsewhere, but it sure would be nice to find his baptismal record. Actually, his baptism may be one of the few times he was ever in church, or maybe I'm not giving the man the breaks he deserves. We don't know for sure when he came to America but it was after 1635, as neither he nor his father is listed in those papers. Many websites say his place of birth was Kittery, York, Maine, but that seems unlikely.
According to his testimony in a court case in 1685, he was 55 years old at the time, so was likely born about 1630, give or take a year or two. We don't know for sure when he married, or whom, but her name was Mary and she was the mother of his children. This was not a loving couple, but she seems to have started as many fights as he did. She also seems to have suffered injuries more often and more serious than he did. At any rate, the two did not get along, and by 1671 one of them requested a divorce. It was granted, but a higher court nullified the decision. The request was made again in 1672 and denied. These two people, both of them apparently victims of both physical and verbal abuse, would have to live out their marriage vows, although not necessarily in the same location.
Locations are confusing for me, regarding Richard Pray. He was supposedly an early settler of Rhode Island, in 1645, but he would have been only about fifteen at the time. How did that happen? He was involved in several court cases in Salem, fined there for swearing, and appointed in 1655 by the court of commissioners to keep a house of entertainment, with a sign to be posted outside to advise strangers. I am not sure whether this was in Massachusetts, or in Rhode Island.
We know he was in Rhode Island in 1675-1676, as he is noted as being one of the few people to "stay and not go" during King Philip's War. This gave him some leverage when native Americans captured in the war were sold as slaves, as he received a share of the profits. (I know, I know, this is bad and unacceptable, but it's a fact so it needs to be told. Wife abuser, slave trader or slave holder, or both, I'm telling it like it is, but not liking it.)
In 1681, Mary, Richard's wife, was given a license (no location given) to keep a public house of entertainment for one year. Again, no location was given. Were they in the same town, or were they separated by many miles? Mary was dead when Richard married his second wife, Elizabeth White Hearnden, widow of Benjamin Hearnden. (Benjamin Hearnden and Elizabeth are also our ancestors, just to keep things interesting.) Did Richard finally find true love? Did Elizabeth go into this relationship with her eyes wide open? Enquiring minds want to know.
Richard died in Providence, Rhode Island sometime in 1693. He had sold or given his small amount of land to his son Ephraim before his death. We don't know how or if the other children were acknowledged, or what provisions were made for Elizabeth, since I've been unable to locate a copy of his will.
There is so much I'd like to know about Richard. Since his first marriage was such a disaster, what made his willing to try it again? Was Elizabeth a different kind of person than Mary had been? What about Mary? Did she find love, or at least friendship, with anyone? How did the children turn out, living in a home where the parents fought so much? Where was Richard from, and was his father really Quentin Pray? And why did he stay in Providence, having received warning that the natives were planning to burn that village? Maybe he wasn't the kind of ancestor we would want to claim, but here he is, folks, larger than life, warts, crimes, and all. If I ever learn that the records are mixed up and our Richard Pray was not the kind of man this blog post portrays, I sure will be happy to correct the record!
The line of descent is:
Richard Pray-Mary
John Pray-Sarah Brown
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
This blog post may or may not be something you want to read. If you imagine that all our ancestors were devout Christians who kept a civil tongue in their head and treated their families with great love and respect, you may not want to read this post. If, however, you are of the belief that it's a good thing to know about all our ancestors, warts and all, read on. And if you like scandal, this is the post for you!
Richard Pray is generally accepted to be the son of Quentin and Joan Valliance Pray, of Frant, Sussex, England, although these doesn't seem to be documentation for his birth. Likely this means he was baptized somewhere else, perhaps in an ancestral church elsewhere, but it sure would be nice to find his baptismal record. Actually, his baptism may be one of the few times he was ever in church, or maybe I'm not giving the man the breaks he deserves. We don't know for sure when he came to America but it was after 1635, as neither he nor his father is listed in those papers. Many websites say his place of birth was Kittery, York, Maine, but that seems unlikely.
According to his testimony in a court case in 1685, he was 55 years old at the time, so was likely born about 1630, give or take a year or two. We don't know for sure when he married, or whom, but her name was Mary and she was the mother of his children. This was not a loving couple, but she seems to have started as many fights as he did. She also seems to have suffered injuries more often and more serious than he did. At any rate, the two did not get along, and by 1671 one of them requested a divorce. It was granted, but a higher court nullified the decision. The request was made again in 1672 and denied. These two people, both of them apparently victims of both physical and verbal abuse, would have to live out their marriage vows, although not necessarily in the same location.
Locations are confusing for me, regarding Richard Pray. He was supposedly an early settler of Rhode Island, in 1645, but he would have been only about fifteen at the time. How did that happen? He was involved in several court cases in Salem, fined there for swearing, and appointed in 1655 by the court of commissioners to keep a house of entertainment, with a sign to be posted outside to advise strangers. I am not sure whether this was in Massachusetts, or in Rhode Island.
We know he was in Rhode Island in 1675-1676, as he is noted as being one of the few people to "stay and not go" during King Philip's War. This gave him some leverage when native Americans captured in the war were sold as slaves, as he received a share of the profits. (I know, I know, this is bad and unacceptable, but it's a fact so it needs to be told. Wife abuser, slave trader or slave holder, or both, I'm telling it like it is, but not liking it.)
In 1681, Mary, Richard's wife, was given a license (no location given) to keep a public house of entertainment for one year. Again, no location was given. Were they in the same town, or were they separated by many miles? Mary was dead when Richard married his second wife, Elizabeth White Hearnden, widow of Benjamin Hearnden. (Benjamin Hearnden and Elizabeth are also our ancestors, just to keep things interesting.) Did Richard finally find true love? Did Elizabeth go into this relationship with her eyes wide open? Enquiring minds want to know.
Richard died in Providence, Rhode Island sometime in 1693. He had sold or given his small amount of land to his son Ephraim before his death. We don't know how or if the other children were acknowledged, or what provisions were made for Elizabeth, since I've been unable to locate a copy of his will.
There is so much I'd like to know about Richard. Since his first marriage was such a disaster, what made his willing to try it again? Was Elizabeth a different kind of person than Mary had been? What about Mary? Did she find love, or at least friendship, with anyone? How did the children turn out, living in a home where the parents fought so much? Where was Richard from, and was his father really Quentin Pray? And why did he stay in Providence, having received warning that the natives were planning to burn that village? Maybe he wasn't the kind of ancestor we would want to claim, but here he is, folks, larger than life, warts, crimes, and all. If I ever learn that the records are mixed up and our Richard Pray was not the kind of man this blog post portrays, I sure will be happy to correct the record!
The line of descent is:
Richard Pray-Mary
John Pray-Sarah Brown
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, October 26, 2018
Holbrook line: John Perrin, Immigrant
John Perrin's origins are sketchy, but intriguing. Family stories say that he was of French Huguenot descent. His parents (but possibly these are grandparents, based on the birth date of "father John Perryn") were John Perryn and Anne Brunneau. His wife was Anne Hubert, daughter of Richard Hubert of France. The dates here almost work to say these families had likely escaped the French persecution of the Huguenots(Protestants) by fleeing to England. It's an exciting story, but one which seems to lack documentation at present. '
The first thing we know about John is that he was in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1640. Family experts dispute whether or not he came in the Safety in 1635, but he was in Braintree in 1640. We don't know whether he had married Anne Hubert in England or whether they met on the ship or soon after arrival here. We do know that their daughter Mary was born at Braintree February 22, 1640/1. It's thought that she was the first born of their five known children, so that gives us an approximate marriage date of 1639, more or less.
John must have been well thought of in Braintree because he was one of the first men chosen, or allowed, to settle in a new town, Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony, so close to what became Rhode Island that some of his land was actually located there. He received several grants of land from the town, including home lot, woodland, fresh meadow, salt marsh, and new meadow. At various times, he was surveyor of highways, constable, townsman, and juror, so I'm thinking he had freeman status.
His estate was valued at 67 pounds in a 1643 settlement of town estates, but by the time of his death in 1674 his real estate was valued at 230 pounds and the total inventory at a little over 375 pounds. John was apparently a hard worker and a thrifty man. His will mentions his wife, two sons and two daughters. The first of two "Mary's" born to the couple had probably died young.
John died before King Philip's War, but the home he built in Rehoboth was apparently used as a garrison house during that conflict. His son John lived there at the time it was needed. A garrison house was generally built a little more stoutly than others in the vicinity, and usually had openings built into it that could be used to fire on any attackers. It may also have had a cellar or other hiding place on the grounds. I wonder if John built such a strong house with memories of the stories of his parents or grandparents and their trials in France in the back of his mind?
I wish I had more to say about John. Was he educated? What church did he attend, if any? Did he have a trade besides farming? There are always more questions, no matter what we are able to learn of the lives of these ancestors! Most of the material in this sketch came from Volume 96 of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, with bits and pieces found elsewhere. And as always, some of it is speculation.
The line of descent is:
John Perrin-Anne Hubert
John Perrin-Mary Polley
Samuel Perrin-Mehitable Child
John Perrin-Abigail Morris
Benjamin Perrin-Mary
Mary Perrin-David Fay
Luceba Fay-Libberus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The first thing we know about John is that he was in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1640. Family experts dispute whether or not he came in the Safety in 1635, but he was in Braintree in 1640. We don't know whether he had married Anne Hubert in England or whether they met on the ship or soon after arrival here. We do know that their daughter Mary was born at Braintree February 22, 1640/1. It's thought that she was the first born of their five known children, so that gives us an approximate marriage date of 1639, more or less.
John must have been well thought of in Braintree because he was one of the first men chosen, or allowed, to settle in a new town, Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony, so close to what became Rhode Island that some of his land was actually located there. He received several grants of land from the town, including home lot, woodland, fresh meadow, salt marsh, and new meadow. At various times, he was surveyor of highways, constable, townsman, and juror, so I'm thinking he had freeman status.
His estate was valued at 67 pounds in a 1643 settlement of town estates, but by the time of his death in 1674 his real estate was valued at 230 pounds and the total inventory at a little over 375 pounds. John was apparently a hard worker and a thrifty man. His will mentions his wife, two sons and two daughters. The first of two "Mary's" born to the couple had probably died young.
John died before King Philip's War, but the home he built in Rehoboth was apparently used as a garrison house during that conflict. His son John lived there at the time it was needed. A garrison house was generally built a little more stoutly than others in the vicinity, and usually had openings built into it that could be used to fire on any attackers. It may also have had a cellar or other hiding place on the grounds. I wonder if John built such a strong house with memories of the stories of his parents or grandparents and their trials in France in the back of his mind?
I wish I had more to say about John. Was he educated? What church did he attend, if any? Did he have a trade besides farming? There are always more questions, no matter what we are able to learn of the lives of these ancestors! Most of the material in this sketch came from Volume 96 of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, with bits and pieces found elsewhere. And as always, some of it is speculation.
The line of descent is:
John Perrin-Anne Hubert
John Perrin-Mary Polley
Samuel Perrin-Mehitable Child
John Perrin-Abigail Morris
Benjamin Perrin-Mary
Mary Perrin-David Fay
Luceba Fay-Libberus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Holbrook line: John Johnson of Roxbury, Immigrant
It doesn't help matters at all that we have at least two ancestors named John Johnson on our tree. For a long time, I've been reluctant to write about this one because I thought it was possible that I had the two men confused on my tree. However, I've been thrilled to find, and finally read, a book called "The Biography and Genealogy of Captain John Johnson from Roxbury, Massachusetts: An Uncommon Man in the Commonwealth of the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1630-1659" by Gerald Garth Johnson, whom I assume would be a distant cousin of ours. The book was published by Heritage Books in 2008, so the scholarship is recent. As my son and my sister would say "Cool beans!"
To give the bare facts, we don't know for sure where John Johnson was born nor whom his parents were, but it appears likely that he was from the area of Great Amwell or Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary Heath, at Ware in 1613, so he was likely born sometime around 1590, give or take a few years. He seems to have learned to read, write, and "cipher" as a child but there is no evidence for that except that he possessed these skills in his adult life. He was a Puritan, probably deeply religious, and he had ten children before he came to America, unfortunately without Mary. She died in 1629 and John Johnson came to Massachusetts on the Arabella, with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. He was the quartermaster for the ship, meaning he was responsible for providing and rationing food for the trip across the ocean, and perhaps for a time when the ship landed. Only six or perhaps seven of the children were still living, and we don't know whether all of the children came with him or whether some were on other ships of the same fleet, Mary, the oldest, would have been just sixteen, which perhaps was considered old enough to watch over the other children while on the trip.
Not much is known of Johnson's life in England but somewhere he must have acquired the skills and abilities that allowed him to become prominent in the life of Roxbury. He apparently went to the new village as soon as he landed, and was part of the town's development for the rest of his life. He was referred to as a yeoman, so he had little status coming to town but soon was respected by all Among his accomplishments, he was a selectman for most of his life there. He served as constable for many, many years. He was "Surveyor-General of the Arms" for the entire Massachusetts Bay Colony , as well as Captain of the Roxbury Military Company and clerk of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. (He had likely been a member of the Honourable Artillery Company of London, but the identification is not certain).
Johnson was frequently called on to witness wills or to inventory estates, as well as to represent townspeople as attorney or power of attorney. As a Puritan in a Puritan town, he helped found the first church and may have helped to construct the first meeting house. He donated toward the establishment of the first school in Roxbury. As Surveyor-General, he helped build bridges and decide boundaries, including settling disputes, or what could have become disputes, between neighboring towns.
Are you impressed yet? He did all this while raising his family, running a farm, and owning a tavern in Roxbury. He was a land owner and a land dealer, providing for farms for two sons as well as selling land for profit. John did have some help. He married for the second time, to a woman named Margery, probably about 1633. but possibly before coming to America to 1630. Margery died and Johnson then married Grace Negus Fawer before October 14, 1656. (She was either childless or had no surviving children when she died in 1671, since she left her estate to her two brothers). So on top of all that he did for the community, the church, and the colony, Johnson was also a family man. He may have had step children, although none were mentioned in his will.
John Johnson died September 30, 1659. The book I referred to earlier gives his complete will and an inventory several pages in length. His estate was valued at about 668 pounds, and the inventory shows many more items than were typical in a New England household in 1659. This is even more remarkable because Johnson's house, including town and military records and the town's ammunition, burned to the ground in 1645. Johnson had quickly replaced everything of the household that was destroyed, and possibly more besides.
The author is certainly proud of John Johnson and I think we should be, too. He was respected in his time both for the work he did and for the results, as he was regarded as successful. I'd love to learn more about him but this is so much more than I expected to find, that I am truly grateful for this book. If you want to learn more about John Johnson, or about Puritans in general, you couldn't do better than to read this book!
The line of descent is:
John Johnson-Mary Heath
Mary Johnson-Roger Mowry
Nathaniel Mowry-Joanna Inman
Joanna Mowry-Walter Phetteplace
Sarah Phetteplace-Elisha Eddy
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
To give the bare facts, we don't know for sure where John Johnson was born nor whom his parents were, but it appears likely that he was from the area of Great Amwell or Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary Heath, at Ware in 1613, so he was likely born sometime around 1590, give or take a few years. He seems to have learned to read, write, and "cipher" as a child but there is no evidence for that except that he possessed these skills in his adult life. He was a Puritan, probably deeply religious, and he had ten children before he came to America, unfortunately without Mary. She died in 1629 and John Johnson came to Massachusetts on the Arabella, with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. He was the quartermaster for the ship, meaning he was responsible for providing and rationing food for the trip across the ocean, and perhaps for a time when the ship landed. Only six or perhaps seven of the children were still living, and we don't know whether all of the children came with him or whether some were on other ships of the same fleet, Mary, the oldest, would have been just sixteen, which perhaps was considered old enough to watch over the other children while on the trip.
Not much is known of Johnson's life in England but somewhere he must have acquired the skills and abilities that allowed him to become prominent in the life of Roxbury. He apparently went to the new village as soon as he landed, and was part of the town's development for the rest of his life. He was referred to as a yeoman, so he had little status coming to town but soon was respected by all Among his accomplishments, he was a selectman for most of his life there. He served as constable for many, many years. He was "Surveyor-General of the Arms" for the entire Massachusetts Bay Colony , as well as Captain of the Roxbury Military Company and clerk of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. (He had likely been a member of the Honourable Artillery Company of London, but the identification is not certain).
Johnson was frequently called on to witness wills or to inventory estates, as well as to represent townspeople as attorney or power of attorney. As a Puritan in a Puritan town, he helped found the first church and may have helped to construct the first meeting house. He donated toward the establishment of the first school in Roxbury. As Surveyor-General, he helped build bridges and decide boundaries, including settling disputes, or what could have become disputes, between neighboring towns.
Are you impressed yet? He did all this while raising his family, running a farm, and owning a tavern in Roxbury. He was a land owner and a land dealer, providing for farms for two sons as well as selling land for profit. John did have some help. He married for the second time, to a woman named Margery, probably about 1633. but possibly before coming to America to 1630. Margery died and Johnson then married Grace Negus Fawer before October 14, 1656. (She was either childless or had no surviving children when she died in 1671, since she left her estate to her two brothers). So on top of all that he did for the community, the church, and the colony, Johnson was also a family man. He may have had step children, although none were mentioned in his will.
John Johnson died September 30, 1659. The book I referred to earlier gives his complete will and an inventory several pages in length. His estate was valued at about 668 pounds, and the inventory shows many more items than were typical in a New England household in 1659. This is even more remarkable because Johnson's house, including town and military records and the town's ammunition, burned to the ground in 1645. Johnson had quickly replaced everything of the household that was destroyed, and possibly more besides.
The author is certainly proud of John Johnson and I think we should be, too. He was respected in his time both for the work he did and for the results, as he was regarded as successful. I'd love to learn more about him but this is so much more than I expected to find, that I am truly grateful for this book. If you want to learn more about John Johnson, or about Puritans in general, you couldn't do better than to read this book!
The line of descent is:
John Johnson-Mary Heath
Mary Johnson-Roger Mowry
Nathaniel Mowry-Joanna Inman
Joanna Mowry-Walter Phetteplace
Sarah Phetteplace-Elisha Eddy
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, October 19, 2018
Holbrook line: Thomas Cole, Immigrant
Thomas Cole is believed to be the son of Humphrey Cole and May Mott. Humphrey must have been a person of some means because a son and a son in law were each rectors, and that would probably indicate a certain degree of schooling. Humphrey himself had a BA from Pembroke College (part of Cambridge University) in 1593 and an MA in 1598. The family was oriented toward education.
Thomas Cole was born about 1603 in Essex, England and had arrived in Virginia on July 4, 1635. It's possible that he came in 1632, had returned to England for some reason and then come back to Virginia. Either date would put him in Virginia early. He married a woman named Priscilla, who may or may not be Priscilla Godfrey, the daughter of John Godfrey.
Thomas and Priscilla were in Maryland by 1649, and were acknowledged Quakers a few years later. Perhaps they left Virginia because they felt persecuted there, but that is speculation. In 1666, he was voted 1000 pounds of tobacco in recompense for the loss of his stock, killed or stolen in raids by the native Americans. John owned 550 acres of land, called Cole's Harbor in 1668. This was in what is now the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, and even then may have been considered valuable. It may also have been marshy, because we don't know that Thomas and Priscilla actually lived there. He also patented 450 acres called Mayden's Choice in 1674, and a 200 acre tract called Saint Mary Borne in 1675.
They seem to have settled in what is now Anne Arundel County, then called Providence County. Thomas and Priscilla had just one known child, or at least one child who lived to adulthood. There may have been a son, John, but nothing more is known of him. Sarah and her husband, Charles Gorsuch, sold the three Baltimore County tracts on December 8, 1679, Sarah being described as the sole heiress of Thomas Cole. Priscilla therefore must have been gone by then, and Thomas also, although we don't have dates for either of them. They may well have been buried in the early Quaker fashion, which was in unmarked graves, with only a flagstone to indicate the place of burial.
I wish we knew more about Thomas. For instance, during the Indian attack when his stock was stolen, where was he and where was his family? Did the family suffer other losses, or was this a one time thing? As a Quaker, he probably wasn't part of the militia but I'd like to confirm that. Was he a slave owner? Was he educated, or at least literate? (I think yes, because his father and brother were educated, and because his daughter married into an influential family, but I'd like to know for sure). What words of wisdom could he share with us, if we could talk face to face?
The line of descent is :
Thomas Cole-Priscilla
Sarah Cole-Charles Gorsuch
Charles Gorsuch Jr-Sarah Cole (it appears that these two were cousins)
Hannah Gorsuch-Thomas Stansbury
Rachel Stansbury-Alexis Lemmon
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thomas Cole was born about 1603 in Essex, England and had arrived in Virginia on July 4, 1635. It's possible that he came in 1632, had returned to England for some reason and then come back to Virginia. Either date would put him in Virginia early. He married a woman named Priscilla, who may or may not be Priscilla Godfrey, the daughter of John Godfrey.
Thomas and Priscilla were in Maryland by 1649, and were acknowledged Quakers a few years later. Perhaps they left Virginia because they felt persecuted there, but that is speculation. In 1666, he was voted 1000 pounds of tobacco in recompense for the loss of his stock, killed or stolen in raids by the native Americans. John owned 550 acres of land, called Cole's Harbor in 1668. This was in what is now the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, and even then may have been considered valuable. It may also have been marshy, because we don't know that Thomas and Priscilla actually lived there. He also patented 450 acres called Mayden's Choice in 1674, and a 200 acre tract called Saint Mary Borne in 1675.
They seem to have settled in what is now Anne Arundel County, then called Providence County. Thomas and Priscilla had just one known child, or at least one child who lived to adulthood. There may have been a son, John, but nothing more is known of him. Sarah and her husband, Charles Gorsuch, sold the three Baltimore County tracts on December 8, 1679, Sarah being described as the sole heiress of Thomas Cole. Priscilla therefore must have been gone by then, and Thomas also, although we don't have dates for either of them. They may well have been buried in the early Quaker fashion, which was in unmarked graves, with only a flagstone to indicate the place of burial.
I wish we knew more about Thomas. For instance, during the Indian attack when his stock was stolen, where was he and where was his family? Did the family suffer other losses, or was this a one time thing? As a Quaker, he probably wasn't part of the militia but I'd like to confirm that. Was he a slave owner? Was he educated, or at least literate? (I think yes, because his father and brother were educated, and because his daughter married into an influential family, but I'd like to know for sure). What words of wisdom could he share with us, if we could talk face to face?
The line of descent is :
Thomas Cole-Priscilla
Sarah Cole-Charles Gorsuch
Charles Gorsuch Jr-Sarah Cole (it appears that these two were cousins)
Hannah Gorsuch-Thomas Stansbury
Rachel Stansbury-Alexis Lemmon
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
John Fay, Immigrant
What in the world would an eight year old boy be doing, traveling by himself, on a trip across the Atlantic ocean in 1656? The Speedwell carried several other passengers who are our ancestors, but we can't prove that any of them knew the Fay family in England. After thinking about it for a while, perhaps inheritance had something to do with it. His presumed father is Henry Fay, with a death date, in Ipswich, Middlesex, Massachusetts of 1655. Maybe John was sent across the ocean to stake a claim to whatever his father had left him. A woman by the name of Dorothy Fay died in Ipswich on the same day as Henry. He name is listed next to Henry's in the register, but we don't know for sure that this was his wife. We don't even know for sure that Henry was John's father, but it appears likely. Many websites give the parents as David Fay and Elizabeth Coale, but it doesn't appear likely to me that a woman of almost 50 would give birth. These are more likely John's grandparents.
We don't know what happened to John when he arrived in America, alone as far as we can tell. He was eight years old, so unless a relative stepped forward to care for him, he would have been bound out. He may have been bound out anyway, as this was the frequent way to deal with children. They needed to learn a trade or skill.
John did grow up and married first Mary Brigham, by whom he had four children, and then Susannah Shattuck Morse, by whom he had four more children. He married Susannah on July 5, 1678 in Watertown, although it's not believed he ever lived there. Early in his life, but probably when he was an adult, John went to Marlboro, where he was made a freeman in 1669. He acquired land in Worcester, and was considered a proprietor there, but he apparently didn't live there. He stayed in Marlboro until the fury of King Philip's War forced the family to go to Watertown,
We wouldn't know much more about John except that he left his inventory. Actually, there are two inventories for him, one taken in 1691 (John died December 5, 1690) and one in 1695. The youngest child was born in 1686 so perhaps it was time to settle the estate. The older children, from his first marriage, may have been getting anxious to get "their share". The estate was valued at about 209 pounds in 1691. The 1695 inventory is not totaled but it appears to be very similar. From the items listed, it appears that John was a farmer; he had the usual animals including two oxen, and "husbandry tools", He also had a Bible and books, total value given as 1 pound and one shilling.
The other interesting thing about John I can't prove. It is said that he was of Huguenot parentage. Whether his parents were Huguenots or whether the connection is further back, I don't know. I don't even know if there is a connection. It's a possibility.
The line of descent is:
John Fay-Susannah Shattuck
David Fay-Sarah Larkin
Edward Fay-Sarah Joslin
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
We don't know what happened to John when he arrived in America, alone as far as we can tell. He was eight years old, so unless a relative stepped forward to care for him, he would have been bound out. He may have been bound out anyway, as this was the frequent way to deal with children. They needed to learn a trade or skill.
John did grow up and married first Mary Brigham, by whom he had four children, and then Susannah Shattuck Morse, by whom he had four more children. He married Susannah on July 5, 1678 in Watertown, although it's not believed he ever lived there. Early in his life, but probably when he was an adult, John went to Marlboro, where he was made a freeman in 1669. He acquired land in Worcester, and was considered a proprietor there, but he apparently didn't live there. He stayed in Marlboro until the fury of King Philip's War forced the family to go to Watertown,
We wouldn't know much more about John except that he left his inventory. Actually, there are two inventories for him, one taken in 1691 (John died December 5, 1690) and one in 1695. The youngest child was born in 1686 so perhaps it was time to settle the estate. The older children, from his first marriage, may have been getting anxious to get "their share". The estate was valued at about 209 pounds in 1691. The 1695 inventory is not totaled but it appears to be very similar. From the items listed, it appears that John was a farmer; he had the usual animals including two oxen, and "husbandry tools", He also had a Bible and books, total value given as 1 pound and one shilling.
The other interesting thing about John I can't prove. It is said that he was of Huguenot parentage. Whether his parents were Huguenots or whether the connection is further back, I don't know. I don't even know if there is a connection. It's a possibility.
The line of descent is:
John Fay-Susannah Shattuck
David Fay-Sarah Larkin
Edward Fay-Sarah Joslin
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Matthew Woodruff, Immigrant
Matthew Woodruff's beginnings are a mystery. There are at least three candidates for his parents. I am almost positive his parents are NOT Sir David Woodruffe and Lettice Dunscombe, which means I have a lot of deleting to do on my tree. There are, however, two additional candidates. One is David Woodruffe and Anne Rogerson, but I've not found anything to back that up. The other is Matthew Woodruff and Margaret Sanders.
Another problem is that we don't know his birth date. He died in 1682 and is termed then "a very old man". If that is true, the dates we have for his birth of 1612-1616 may not be correct. He may be older than that. The other possibility with the description of "a very old man" is that his health was poor and he appeared to be aged beyond his years. However, he didn't write his will until shortly before his death, which seems to indicate that he was reasonably healthy up to his final illness. So definitely, more research needs to be done about Matthew's origins.
The first we really know about Matthew is that he was generally in the area of Hartford, Connecticut in 1643, when he was a defendant in a law suit, the plaintiff being John Robinson. He was made a freeman at Hartford in 1657, but neither of these items prove that he actually lived in Hartford. He purchased land in Farmington in 1653, but he could have been there practically the whole time he was in America. Although I didn't find an official list of first founders of Farmington, it does appear that Matthew would have been considered one of the earliest settlers, if not a first founder.
Another puzzle about Matthew is the name of his wife. Her first name was Hannah, but her surname is variously given as Flagg, Baldwin, and Lambert. Baldwin seems to have the longest tradition about it, but I've not found evidence of that. Matthew and Hannah were married about 1642, and had six children together. I have conflicting information about Hannah. One source says she died in 1664, but Matthew's will, written in 1682, mentions his loving wife. If he remarried, perhaps that is one possible reason why there are varying names for his wife. Hannah joined the church in November of 1654 but Matthew didn't join until 1672. Presumably he had attended all along, but was not technically a part of the communion of believers until 1672.
Matthew wrote his will in September of 1682 and it was proven December 14, 1682, so he died sometime between those two dates. From his inventory, we can tell that Matthew was a farmer. His tools are described as tools for husbandry, so perhaps his status was that of husbandman. From coming to America as an unknown, perhaps as an indentured servant, he left an estate of about 250 pounds. He had not a lot of land, but his livestock carried a relatively high value, so he may have done more intensive livestock farming than some did. (Incidentally, the spelling used in the inventory is some of the most creative I have seen.) There were no books mentioned in his inventory. Son Samuel got the lion's share of the moveable goods, as well as some land, on the condition that he care for his mother.
Naturally I am not happy with this post. I'm writing it because half a loaf is better than none, but I would really like to determine Matthew's parentage, his age, and his hometown in England. He deserves that much.
The line of descent is:
Matthew Woodruff-Hannah possibly Baldwin
Hannah Woodruff-Richard Seymour
Hannah Seymour-Josepoh Pomeroy
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull
Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Another problem is that we don't know his birth date. He died in 1682 and is termed then "a very old man". If that is true, the dates we have for his birth of 1612-1616 may not be correct. He may be older than that. The other possibility with the description of "a very old man" is that his health was poor and he appeared to be aged beyond his years. However, he didn't write his will until shortly before his death, which seems to indicate that he was reasonably healthy up to his final illness. So definitely, more research needs to be done about Matthew's origins.
The first we really know about Matthew is that he was generally in the area of Hartford, Connecticut in 1643, when he was a defendant in a law suit, the plaintiff being John Robinson. He was made a freeman at Hartford in 1657, but neither of these items prove that he actually lived in Hartford. He purchased land in Farmington in 1653, but he could have been there practically the whole time he was in America. Although I didn't find an official list of first founders of Farmington, it does appear that Matthew would have been considered one of the earliest settlers, if not a first founder.
Another puzzle about Matthew is the name of his wife. Her first name was Hannah, but her surname is variously given as Flagg, Baldwin, and Lambert. Baldwin seems to have the longest tradition about it, but I've not found evidence of that. Matthew and Hannah were married about 1642, and had six children together. I have conflicting information about Hannah. One source says she died in 1664, but Matthew's will, written in 1682, mentions his loving wife. If he remarried, perhaps that is one possible reason why there are varying names for his wife. Hannah joined the church in November of 1654 but Matthew didn't join until 1672. Presumably he had attended all along, but was not technically a part of the communion of believers until 1672.
Matthew wrote his will in September of 1682 and it was proven December 14, 1682, so he died sometime between those two dates. From his inventory, we can tell that Matthew was a farmer. His tools are described as tools for husbandry, so perhaps his status was that of husbandman. From coming to America as an unknown, perhaps as an indentured servant, he left an estate of about 250 pounds. He had not a lot of land, but his livestock carried a relatively high value, so he may have done more intensive livestock farming than some did. (Incidentally, the spelling used in the inventory is some of the most creative I have seen.) There were no books mentioned in his inventory. Son Samuel got the lion's share of the moveable goods, as well as some land, on the condition that he care for his mother.
Naturally I am not happy with this post. I'm writing it because half a loaf is better than none, but I would really like to determine Matthew's parentage, his age, and his hometown in England. He deserves that much.
The line of descent is:
Matthew Woodruff-Hannah possibly Baldwin
Hannah Woodruff-Richard Seymour
Hannah Seymour-Josepoh Pomeroy
Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull
Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Beeks line: Mary Smith Dunham, one feisty lady
It's been awhile since I've had anything to say about any of the Beeks ancestors. But I came across one sentence about one lady that I think is noteworthy. Actually, finding anything about a woman in the 18th century is noteworthy, as for the most part women are hidden in their husband's identity. Ah, but what is husband dies at a young age? Remarriage was the norm, but sometimes a widow chose a different road.
Mary Smith was the daughter of Shubael and Prudence Fitzrandolph Smith. (The Fitzrandolph family traces back to English and Scottish royalty but that is a story for sometime in the future, if I decide to expand the scope of this blog.) She was born December 27, 1717, probably in Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey. She was one of eleven children, and that's about what I know of her childhood. I would love to know her religion, but I don't know that at this time.
Mary married Jonathan Dunham (sometimes spelled Donham), the son of Benjamin Dunham and Mary Rolph, probably in 1737 although I haven't pinned that date down yet. Their first son was born at the end of 1738, and they had five additional children. Unfortunately, Jonathan died in 1748, although I've not yet found records that mention a cause of death. This left Mary with 6 children under the age of 15. What's a widow to do?
Well, what she did not do was marry again. We are given a clue as to what she may have done because her name is found (along with some other people by the name of Fitzrandolph and Dunham) on a petition to the New Jersey House stating that the rate for housing soldiers had been 5 shillings, 4 pence but had been reduced to 4 shillings, and the petitioners asked that it be increased to the original level.
This was during the French and Indian War. Woodbridge may have been close enough to the frontier that the citizens felt threatened, and apparently at least a few soldiers were stationed there or near there to protect civilians. My strong suspicion is that Mary ran a boarding house or inn to support her family. That would explain why some of her late husband's relatives would have signed the same petition. They wanted her to be able to support herself, so they would not be obliged to do so.
I've not learned whether the petition was successful or not. I don't know what Mary looked like, whether she was short or tall, plain or attractive, but I can imagine the determination in her mind and body that showed her a way to support her family without re-marrying. Signing a petition to the state was not a common thing for a woman to do. I think she was a feisty lady.
Mary died in 1791. Her will, written in 1784, disposed of mostly personal property, but she made cash bequests to two sons. Samuel, the Beeks ancestor (and also Barack Obama's ancestor) was absent from home and if he did not return within ten years, his son Jacob was to receive 10 pounds with the remainder of Samuel's share to be divided among her three children. It's possible that Samuel was already in what became West Virginia at that time, making a life for himself and his several children.
One other detail. One of her sons, Asher, was a Tory and fought on the British side in the Revolutionary war. Daniel Dunham followed the same path. He may or may not be Mary's son. Her birth date is given as 1717 and Daniel's as 1730. I suspect Daniel belongs to another Dunham, or might just possibly be Jonathan's from an earlier relationship. He would have been family of some kind, however. Asher seems to have returned to New Jersey by the time Mary wrote her will. Samuel may have stayed away because his were not Tory views.
That's what is known about Mary, plus I've thrown in some speculation that may or may not be accurate (that she ran an inn or boarding house of some sort). I like Mary. I admire her spunk and her grit that allowed her to raise five children without the benefit of a husband. I like that she was willing to sign a petition. I like that she wanted Samuel to return home, as most parents would. I just like Mary, and I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is:
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah probably Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G. Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Mary Smith was the daughter of Shubael and Prudence Fitzrandolph Smith. (The Fitzrandolph family traces back to English and Scottish royalty but that is a story for sometime in the future, if I decide to expand the scope of this blog.) She was born December 27, 1717, probably in Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey. She was one of eleven children, and that's about what I know of her childhood. I would love to know her religion, but I don't know that at this time.
Mary married Jonathan Dunham (sometimes spelled Donham), the son of Benjamin Dunham and Mary Rolph, probably in 1737 although I haven't pinned that date down yet. Their first son was born at the end of 1738, and they had five additional children. Unfortunately, Jonathan died in 1748, although I've not yet found records that mention a cause of death. This left Mary with 6 children under the age of 15. What's a widow to do?
Well, what she did not do was marry again. We are given a clue as to what she may have done because her name is found (along with some other people by the name of Fitzrandolph and Dunham) on a petition to the New Jersey House stating that the rate for housing soldiers had been 5 shillings, 4 pence but had been reduced to 4 shillings, and the petitioners asked that it be increased to the original level.
This was during the French and Indian War. Woodbridge may have been close enough to the frontier that the citizens felt threatened, and apparently at least a few soldiers were stationed there or near there to protect civilians. My strong suspicion is that Mary ran a boarding house or inn to support her family. That would explain why some of her late husband's relatives would have signed the same petition. They wanted her to be able to support herself, so they would not be obliged to do so.
I've not learned whether the petition was successful or not. I don't know what Mary looked like, whether she was short or tall, plain or attractive, but I can imagine the determination in her mind and body that showed her a way to support her family without re-marrying. Signing a petition to the state was not a common thing for a woman to do. I think she was a feisty lady.
Mary died in 1791. Her will, written in 1784, disposed of mostly personal property, but she made cash bequests to two sons. Samuel, the Beeks ancestor (and also Barack Obama's ancestor) was absent from home and if he did not return within ten years, his son Jacob was to receive 10 pounds with the remainder of Samuel's share to be divided among her three children. It's possible that Samuel was already in what became West Virginia at that time, making a life for himself and his several children.
One other detail. One of her sons, Asher, was a Tory and fought on the British side in the Revolutionary war. Daniel Dunham followed the same path. He may or may not be Mary's son. Her birth date is given as 1717 and Daniel's as 1730. I suspect Daniel belongs to another Dunham, or might just possibly be Jonathan's from an earlier relationship. He would have been family of some kind, however. Asher seems to have returned to New Jersey by the time Mary wrote her will. Samuel may have stayed away because his were not Tory views.
That's what is known about Mary, plus I've thrown in some speculation that may or may not be accurate (that she ran an inn or boarding house of some sort). I like Mary. I admire her spunk and her grit that allowed her to raise five children without the benefit of a husband. I like that she was willing to sign a petition. I like that she wanted Samuel to return home, as most parents would. I just like Mary, and I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is:
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah probably Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G. Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
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